New York Tennis Magazine January/February 2015 by United Sports Publications, Ltd.

A New Booming Serve ... Just a Click Away By Luke Jensen t’s a new year and time to pick up the pace. Have you taken inventory of where your game is now and where it has to go to reach your full potential? I always found the offseason on the ATP Tour was an opportunity to attack the areas of concern in my game that needed to pick up the pace. I continue to be amazed by the evolving game at all levels, where the equipment technology and training methods continue to improve. There are so many helpful hints these days, from highly-detailed instruction on the Internet and visual guides and videos on YouTube. Thousands of tips from the global guides in tennis that have many different perspectives that may just click into what you may need to win more big points are literally just a click away. My tip for you in this edition of The Jensen Zone is the most important shot in tennis … it is the serve because it starts out every point. The serve is complex and can be the difference between your game going forward or backwards. A confident shot can shine or fold under pressure. My entire game revolved around a big first serve. When I was serving well, I could hold serve against any player on the planet, and that made me a very dangerous competitor. The key to my cannonball, also known as the “canon bomb,” in certain parts of Asia— for some reason when I would announce my serve, it would get lost in translation so I just went with it. Ah yes, I named my serves like my “Slippery Pete,” “Mommas Meatloaf,” “Pot Roast”

and then there was the “FedEx” that had to reach my target absolutely, positively RIGHT NOW! There were many others like my “Arnold Palmer” that had some hybrid 50/50 action on it. My ability to serve effectively with my left and right arms gave me many options and advantages. With my serves being coded, only my doubles partner, my younger brother Murphy, would know what I was throwing and he would adjust accordingly at the net or if he saw something at the net by the other team he would audible for another serve. My main concern hitting the cannonball was having the right toss. I didn’t need a perfect toss, I just needed one that lifted up to my contact point that would synchronize with my motion. If my toss was too high or low, my timing and serve would go off the mark. My mechanics were pretty basic for both my left- and right-handed serves. I worked on a consistent starting point, where my racquet met with the ball in front of my body while standing fairly upright. Then, my focus was to bring both arms up at the same time. The great Pete Sampras would stagger his arms with the racquet arm dragging a little slower and longer to develop more of a whipping action through the contact point. For me, as soon as the toss paused at arm and racquet

reach, it was time to throw as much torque into the ball. The motion was designed after the 1972 Wimbledon Champion and fellow University of Southern California Trojan Stan Smith. His serve was much smoother, but the power the motion produced made me a flame thrower of 130 mph-plus from both sides. To make your serve smoke like my idol Stan Smith, go to YouTube search for a video of his serve. You will really see one of the classic serving deliveries of all time! And until the next issue … go for the lines and create a cannonball serve for your own game! Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke Jensen’s resume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titles and singles victories against Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Jensen and his brother, Murphy, won the 1993 French Open doubles title. He was also a member of the 1991 and 1992 Davis Cup Teams. His ambidextrous play, including his ability to serve the ball with either hand at 130 mph, earned him the nickname “Dual Hand Luke.” He may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or e-mail lbjensen@syr.edu.

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Table Of Contents

JAN/FEB 2015 • Vol 5, No 1

2015 Australian Open Preview

By Andrew Eichenholz The first Grand Slam of 2015 gets underway in January as the sport’s top stars take to the court. We take a closer look at the year’s contenders, pretenders and sleepers as they vie for glory Down Under. See page 8

Cover photo credit: USTA

Featured Stories 34 BNP Paribas Showdown to Feature Federer Meeting Dimitrov and Classic Matchup Between Seles and Sabatini The pros, past and present, return to the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden for the 2015 BNP Paribas Showdown. 40 A Look Back at the Year That Was 2014 By Emilie Katz A closer look at the Grand Slam winners of 2014, along with award winners and those who called it a career over the past year.

Featured 20 NYJTL Hosts 90 Kids for Annual 8 & Under Tournament By Matthew Cohen 27 Locals Capture Titles at National Indoor Championships 36 National Tennis Center Hosts Successful One-on-One Doubles Tournament 38 New York City Girls Compete for State Title By Brian Coleman 39 Locals Elbaba and Rubin Lead Team USA to International Collegiate Title 48 Know Your Tennis Strengths By Bill Longua

Featured Columns 1 4 14 22 24 28 30 32 43 44 46 49 50 51 52 55

The Jensen Zone By Luke Jensen College Tennis Spotlight: Mythbusters—Getting to Know Some of New York City’s Top College Tennis Coaches By Ricky Becker Across Metro New York … News and Notes From Across the New York Metro Tennis Community From Young Beginner to Player By Xavier Luna USTA Eastern Metro Region Update Metro Corporate League Recap, Presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs Court Six: New York Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz A Collegiate Coach Recruiting Adventure By Lonnie Mitchel USTA Leagues Update Some Pitfalls of Modern Teaching Techniques By Lisa Dodson The Secret to Peak Performance By Rob Polishook, MA, CPC Make Your Strokes Al Dente By Richard Thater Hidden Secrets of the Greats: Billie Jean King By Dr. Tom Ferraro New York Tennis Club Directory New York Rankings USTA/Metropolitan Region 2015 Tournament Schedule

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college tennis spotlight

MYTHBUSTERS

Getting to Know Some of New York City’s Top College Tennis Coaches

By Ricky Becker ew York City has everything. This includes some premier national collegiate tennis programs. While colleges and universities in warm weather regions often win the national championships, New York City has many schools which fare quite well on the national ranking list. As far as cities go that play indoor tennis in the wintertime, I truly believe NYC has the highest quality college tennis programs of any city. I had the opportunity to speak with a few of the coaches to get the ins-and-outs of their program.

Horace Choy NYU Men’s and Women’s Head Tennis Coach Do you prefer local players or does it really matter whether or not the player is local? The reach of NYU is both national and international, so I do not have a “preference” for local players as I look for any players who will help our programs. That being said, I know that the East produces a lot of strong players and is sometimes undervalued as a region, so I make every effort to attract local players. I am looking for players that are three-star players or higher to recruit. How do you sell NYU to recruits? The biggest advantage for the student attending NYU is the diversity that it offers. Is having your school located in New York City a positive or negative in recruiting? New York City can be both a positive and a negative. Some students can be overwhelmed by the size and energy of the City, while others embrace it, looking for a unique educational experience. It is about the right fit. I ultimately want players here who will be happy here. 4

Do you have any advice for New York area juniors who would like to play college tennis? I would tell players to do their research. There is high level tennis in all divisions, and players should make sure they are a “fit” if they want to play. Ilene Weintraub Columbia University Head Women’s Tennis Coach Do you prefer local players or does it really matter whether or not the player is local? Ideally, I would like our program to be a microcosm of the university by including a diverse roster with players from all over the country. However, since I grew up in New York and played in the ETA Section myself, I have formed strong relationships with many local coaches in Long Island, Westchester and New Jersey, which has led to many local players coming to play for me at Columbia. How do you sell Columbia to recruits? Columbia is ranked number four in the world according to U.S. News & World Report. We were Ivy League Champions in 2013, finished last season ranked 39th in the nation and received an atlarge bid to the NCAA’s. We are one of the only programs in the country that can offer both a world-class education and the opportunity to play on a top nationally-ranked team. Usually, players have to choose between going to a top tennis program or going to a prestigious academic school. With Columbia, you no longer have to choose, you really can have it all. Is having your school located in New York City a positive or negative in recruiting? I see New York as a positive in every way. Who doesn’t love Broadway shows, fabulous restaurants, fashion week, wall street, celebrity sightings, movies being filmed on campus, shopping in

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

SoHo, museums, art, music, delivery any time day or night, you name it. Attending Columbia in New York City, with its fast-paced professional and competitive environment, helps to prepare our students best for the real world and whatever career path they choose. It gives them an edge that no one else has. Many of our alumni still live and work in New York, and they become a large part of our student-athlete’s experience. They watch our matches, we teach some of their children tennis and they provide mentoring and excellent job opportunities to our graduating seniors. What type of player/ranking are you looking for in a recruit? I focus on the top 100 players in the USTA national rankings and/or the top 300 players in the world junior ITF rankings. In terms of personality, we are looking for strong work ethic, good communication skills, independence, high energy and a fighting spirit. We have a really positive team culture and environment that I am extremely protective of. I only want to bring in players who are going to help us improve and continue to contribute to the environment in which players can learn, grow and succeed. Do you have any advice for New York area juniors who would like to play college tennis? You can never contact a coach enough. The more I hear from a recruit, the more I get to know them and begin to develop a relationship during the recruiting process, the better. My advice would be that it cannot hurt to be persistent and go for what you want. Alan Nagel Queens College Head Women’s Tennis Coach/Interim Head Men’s Tennis Coach Do you prefer local players or does it really matter whether or not the player is local? I always prefer New York State players because they cost me less in scholarship money, but because I only recruit D1 type players (Queens College is Division 2),

I find it hard to come by local talent. The three-star and four-star New York players want to either go out of town, or maybe to Columbia. Therefore, in order to fulfill my objective, I usually need to look out-of-state, as well an internationally. I always get a few local non-scholarship players. More recently, when I do get a local player, they are usually transfer players from a D1 school. What is the biggest draw of Queens College to recruits? The biggest draw of Queens College is that Queens is considered one of the finest academic schools in New York City. In a survey of all American colleges, Queens College was voted number two in best value by the Washington Monthly. Our outstanding tennis record as stated above and the fact that we have a permanent tennis facility with six indoor courts used exclusively for tennis all contribute to our draw. According to Kaplan/Newsweek’s, “How to Get Into College Guide,” Queens College was named one of America’s hottest schools. Is having your school located in New York City a positive or negative in recruiting? New York City is one of the most positive influences for my recruiting. It is one of the most famous cities in the world and has so much to offer in terms of culture, entertainment and job opportunities. Therefore, it is one of my biggest draws. This year, I have players from Morocco, Poland, the Ukraine, India and Paraguay (by way of Florida). Some of these players transferred from more rural D1 schools across the country in states including: Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia because they wanted to experience the Big Apple. What type of player/ranking are you looking for in a recruit? I am looking for a player who has had a great junior record either internationally or in the USTA. I only recruit players who I feel could play successfully in D1 and would likely be offered D1 scholarships. Last year, we played several D1 schools, including St. Peters, who continued on page 6

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college tennis spotlight continued from page 5 we beat 9-0, and Georgetown, who we beat 4-3 and they finished with a .500 record playing some of the best D1 teams in the East. In order to compete against the best, you need the best! Do you have any advice for New York area juniors who would like to play college tennis? My advice to New York area juniors who are seeking to play college tennis is to enter college showcases. Make a good video of themselves and do their homework during their junior and senior years, and research coaches/schools of interest and send those coaches a resume, including grades and SAT/ACT scores, as well as the video. Be assertive in making sure that these coaches know who you are. Eric Rebhuhn St. John’s University Men’s Tennis Head Coach Do you prefer local players or does it really matter whether or not the player is local? Obviously, most Northeast kids would rather go and sit at an Ivy League school than have a chance to compete for a spot at St. John’s; which is the most popular school in the Tri-State area in terms of athletic success. What is the biggest draw of St. John’s to recruits? My focus has always been New York and the chance to live in the best city in the world. I always take recruits to the City and show them all of the things they can do during their career. I also talk about the U.S. Open where we play all of our home matches and practice throughout the year at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The last thing is that all of my former players get

jobs in many fields, including finance, sports management, pharmaceuticals, etc. after they graduate. Is having your school located in New York City a positive or negative in recruiting? New York City is a big positive … it’s the best city in the world. What type of player/ranking are you looking for in a recruit? Top 150 ITF or have had ATP points! Occasionally, I look for top 75 in the USTA’s rankings and five-star players. I have four-star players who did not play enough USTA events. An example is my current freshman Elio Livi, who beat Reilly Opelka within the last year. He was a four-star recruit, but has many wins over blue chip and five-star players. We also have a former blue chip on the team, RJ Del Nunzio, who is currently a junior! Do you have any advice for New York area juniors who would like to play college tennis? Come to one college match and see the level! The Northeast has almost 10 ranked teams currently, and over my career, I have seen so few players who want to play college tennis even watch a match. We recently held the ITA Regionals at the U.S. Open for one week, and I did not see one Eastern junior at the event. Thirtytwo coaches in one place for almost a week … what’s the excuse? Ricky Becker is the founder of JuniorTennisConsulting LLC, director of tennis at Pine Hollow Country Club and independently coaches high-performance juniors year-round. Ricky was named the Most Valuable Player for the 1996 NCAA Championship Stanford Tennis Team and was a top-five nationally-ranked junior. He can be reached by e-mail at rbecker06@yahoo.com, by phone at (516) 605-0420 or via JuniorTennisConsulting.com.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

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2015 Austr

The pros head Down Und By Andrew Eichenholz “All the world's a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed,” Irish playwright Sean O’Casey once said. Sloane Stephens was 19-years-old on Quarterfinal Day of the 2013 Australian Open. On one of the most renowned stages of the sport, she faced the biggest moment of her young tennis career. It did not help that across the net was fellow American Serena Williams. The world number one had won 15 Grand Slam titles. Stephens only played in six. The last time Serena had lost to an American other than her sister Venus was in 2005 at Wimbledon. It is fair to say that regardless of her frequent flashes of potential, nobody believed too strongly in Sloane’s chances. So, when Serena netted a backhand at the end of the third set, Stephens’ life changed. Nobody in the world, let alone the United States, had challenged the supremacy of the younger Williams Sister. With Sloane’s big win, she brought with that victory a lot of questions upon herself. Could she be Serena’s heir apparent? How quickly would she climb her way up the rankings? Would she be able to reach the expectations measured by the Serena win? That is a lot of pressure for a teenager to handle, especially one still looking to break out on the professional circuit. Considering she had reached a highly respectable ranking of 25th in the world before her match with Serena, she was already in the spotlight. Sitting under it for too long burns many, and the light on her would only begin to heat up. Out of her 20 losses the rest of the way in 2013, six of them were to players outside of the top-50 in the world. One was to an American outside of the top-100. For a player who, as expected, broke into the world’s top-20, the number of losses were too many for those watching her progress, 8

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

ralian Open Preview

der to kick off the new year and disappointing losses to boot. If she beat Serena, shouldn’t she have been winning titles and slaying other champions? Keep in mind, she was still a kid. A kid ranked 13th in the world just a year after her upset. Now at 20 years of age, Stephens was back at the place where she made her name. The lens she entered Melbourne’s major under, however, was different. Not earning big wins was now considered failure. Sloane lost to then world number two Victoria Azarenka, one of the most potent ball strikers of this era, in the fourth round of the 2014 Aussie Open. Stephens should not have won the match and did not, but yet, the pressure was still there. Instead of becoming Serena instantly overnight, she has suffered setbacks. Four times in 2014, the youngster lost to play-

ers outside of the top-100 in the world. And not once during the 2014 calendar year, did she claim a title. Sloane Stephens was not living up to the hype … plain and simple. But, was that hype fair? Serena will end up going down as one of the, if not the, very best female tennis players to ever step on a court. It is difficult to hold a player to such standards. Keep in mind, Sloane broke into the top20 as a teenager, but was that not enough? Many athletes trying to make it in the world of tennis would take reaching the fourth round of a major twice in a season, as she did in 2014. Now, it is about building on that. The world has seen, from the match against Serena and others, that Stephens certainly has the potential to be a top player in the sport. She is better than her current ranking of 37th in the world.

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So, how will Stephens respond? Will the pressure of the spotlight keep her from rising up again? Can Sloane overcome a wrist injury suffered last season to work her way back to where she was in 2013? After a year that could have answered questions about the young Americans’ career, all that has come from this are more questions. She began her 2015 campaign in New Zealand at the ASB Classic, breezing past Silvia Soler-Espinosa in the opening round 6-3, 6-1 before falling to fellow American Lauren Davis in the second round, 6-1, 4-6, 1-6 in her final tune-up before the Aussie Open. Equipped with groundstrokes to bother anybody, it is not a question of if Sloane Stephens could move to the top of the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings once again, but when and if it will happen in 2015.

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NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

2015 Austr

The pros head Down Und eading into the 2015 Australian Open, there are many storylines with a great deal of unpredictable endings in store for the upcoming year. One great of the game proved to the world that age is no barrier in 2014, while another raised questions on just how many times he could get up from a knockout punch. In the women’s game, young stars are reaching the horizon, with the superstar looking to maintain her reign.

The men’s side of the Aussie Open draw The contenders Credit photo: USTA

Wo u l d R o g e r Federer ever be at the top of the sport again? If 73 match wins in 2014 did not answer that question, it is hard to say what will. Federer not only showed the world that he was not done yet, but he shoved it in everybody’s face, nearly overtaking Novak Djokovic for the world number one ranking towards the season’s end. Furthermore, it is never fair to think that the man who has won more majors and held the top spot in the world rankings more than anybody else does not have a shot at the Grand Slam. Expect Federer to be challenging Djokovic. Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Not enough could be said about the fall season that Novak Djokovic had in 2014. The new father went 19-1, winning the World Tour Finals

to cap it off. When a semifinal performance at the U.S. Open is considered an extreme disappointment, it is safe to say that this man will be the favorite down under. Nobody has been more consistent at the majors in recent years, and there are no signs that he will slow down. Up and down. After winning the Australian Open last season, that is exactly what the new Swiss Superstar Stanislas Wawrinka was. He had a tournament here and there where he would show the groundstrokes that can compete and overpower anybody in the world, and others where it was the Stan of a few years ago who showed up. Nevertheless, Wawrinka closed his season strongly in London, looking like his Australian Open-winning self, something everybody should be scared of come the first Grand Slam of the season. The pretenders Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

There is nobody who questions or will ever say anything about Rafael Nadal’s toughness. Injury after injury has popped up over the years, leaving fans and players alike wondering if the man who grew to become “The Federer Slayer” would ever be “himself” again. Every time, he proved those questions silly, coming back better than ever. After quite some time off of the court, however, a hard court at that, it is hard to see Nadal chal-

lenging the likes of Djokovic and Federer in Australia. Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

Nobody will ever take Marin Cilic’s 2014 U.S. Open title away. Nobody. But, it seems like that run in Flushing Meadows may have been a flash in the pan, because his results have not backed up his major championship. Lower-ranked players who the Croatian encounters early on will look at Cilic as a marked man, and will want that “upset match” that much more. He could still win the matches in which he is favored, but do not expect another Cinderella story for Cilic Down Under. Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

There is no doubt that Kei Nishikori will be around the top tier of men’s tennis for a long, long time. Perhaps one of the very best pound for pound players in the world, his pure groundstroke game is extraordinary. However, with size does come limitations. He caught Djokovic on one of his worst days in years with the best tennis he had ever played to win their U.S. Open semifinal match, but what are the chances that it happens again? Nishikori has been playing at such a high level in the last year or even two, that he is bound for a hiccup. The sleepers As hard as it is to call the world number six a sleeper, Andy Murray is this year in Melbourne. Ever since his Wimbledon title, Murray has been in a sort of slump. At the end of this past season, he started to hit out

ralian Open Preview Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

der to kick off the new year more on the ball, moving his feet into more aggressive positions on the court, leading to success. Murray can be a very good tennis player while constantly on the defense, but he can only be great playing offense first. Look for him to do so Down Under. Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

There are very few, if any, who have the same raw power as the big Czech. Tomas Berdych can hit both a forehand and backhand from anywhere on the court for a winner. The question is, could he build a point effectively against the top guys and not be afraid to make the first move in a rally? Berdych can beat anybody on his given day, so why not the Australian Open

ment, there is no other person out there who will be happier to grind them down.

The women’s side of the Aussie Open draw The contenders Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

Regardless of how anybody in the world plays on a given day, they will not be able to beat Serena Williams at her best. With the best serve in the game by leaps and bounds, her opponents are on their back foot in a point right off of the return. From there, few players in tennis history have been better at keeping the foot on the gas, with deep groundstrokes that push anybody and everybody around. If Serena has a good serving tournament, she may not even need her best game off of the ground to win. That is how impacting it is.

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Maria Sharapova may possibly be the most focused and mentally tough individual on either the men’s or women’s tour. There are very few players in the sport right now who are quite as professional as Sharapova. By the way, she can hit the ball too. Her serving may be a bit too inconsistent to truly give Serena a run for her money, but her blistering groundstrokes will mow down the rest of the field. Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

The ending of Caroline Wozniacki’s engagement must have done the trick, as the Danish marathon-running star has been nothing but successful on the tennis court since her wellknown break up

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Toughness is not something that can simply be taught. David Ferrer is perhaps the toughest on the ATP Tour, and he certainly plays like it. Nobody, from the lowest-seeded entry to Novak Djokovic, will get a free point against the Spanish speedster. Ferrer has sneakily aggressive groundstrokes, and if any of the top guys are off of their game when they meet in the back end of a tournaNYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

2015 australian open preview continued from page 11 early on in 2014 with golfer Rory McIlroy. For a period of time, she tried to win matches against the better players on the WTA Tour solely with her defensive skills, which are very good. However, as she showed with her play towards the end of last season, she can do so much more when she controls points and dictates play, which will lead to a successful Australian Open campaign. The pretenders Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Very few expected Ana Ivanovic to bring back her glory days in 2014, yet she proved that she can still play. At just 27 years of age, the still-young Serbian star feels like she has been on the WTA Tour forever, but she still has time left. She has proven in her career, she cannot serve consistently enough to stay at the top of the game, and after a break is the most convenient time for that serve to fall off track.

Without a doubt, the consistency award for 2014 should go to Simona Halep. Nobody on the WTA Tour was as daunting to those ranked The sleepers Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal below her, and even Not many players above her. At the have tested Serena year-end champiwhile she was at onships, Halep her best. Victoria bludgeoned Serena, which almost noAzarenka is one of body has ever done. The thing is, Halep’s them, and she is game had been a new commodity to coming off of a foot everybody, and now that she is at the injury that severely top, everybody will be going after her. limited her last seaShe had lost more of the matches she son. People seem should win towards the end of the seato have forgotten son, so look out at the Australian Open. about her while she has been out, but look for the Belarusian sensation to hit the ground Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden Nobody in profes- running with a big performance at the first sional women’s ten- Grand Slam of the year. nis has as large of a Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden playing range as Through battling Petra Kvitova. On with Sjogren’s Synher best day, her drome and all, serve and suffocatVenus Williams ing forehand is alhas scratched and most impossible to clawed her way beat, especially on back into the top a faster surface in 20 in the world. the heat, like one would find down under. Many may think But, the first major of the year comes almost that with her age straight off of the offseason, leaving very litshe will be unable tle time to get into top gear. Kvitova has lost to go any further, but as Roger Federer has in the second round or earlier four times at shown, you can never count out a champion. the Australian Open, and it is very possible Venus knocked at the door of a major upset that that number will tick up again. 12

at a couple of Grand Slams last season. If she manages to string together a few matches with the serve that the world grew to be in awe of years ago, look out.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

What would an Australian Open preview be without any Australians? People seem to have totally forgotten with her underwhelming results of late that Samantha Stosur is a Grand Slam champion. No, she did not make it past the fourth round at a major last season, but her fall campaign showed the potential that the big server has. For somebody who has possibly the best non-Serena Williams serve, especially second serve in women’s tennis, there is no reason to count the home favorite out. Andrew Eichenholz is a journalism student at Stony Brook University, where he currently is a staff writer for The Statesman, covering tennis amongst many sports. He grew up playing tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where he learned to love the game, eventually becoming a part time tennis instructor, working for the most part with the QuickStart 10 & Under Program. Andrew has also served as a ballperson at the U.S. Open. He may be reached by e-mail at andrew.eichenholz@stonybrook.edu.

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Across Metro N National Tennis Center renovations continue

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. has been under construction and renovation for months now, and the progress is going according to schedule. The whole project is expected to be completed by August of 2018. The process began in the months prior to

the U.S. Open, starting in August, and had to come to a halt for about 30 days as the 2014 edition of the U.S. Open played out. The first phase of the $550 million project included putting in a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, as well as two other stadiums in the complex. This phase is expected to be com-

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

pleted sometime in August of 2016. The project also includes many infrastructure upgrades, which include putting together the eight foundations that will support the roof over Ashe. “Most retractable roofs are built with the stadium from the get-go,” said Tom Jaske, Faithful & Gould senior vice president and project executive. The firm was awarded a project management cnotract for the site. “But this is a separate structure poised over the existing stadium.” The next phases of the renovation will include knocking down Louis Armstrong Stadium and the grandstands, and rebuilding it to add seats. The stadium and grandstands will be separate structures and the 11,000-seat Armstrong Stadium will be boosted to about 15,000 seats.

ew York New

… News and notes from across the New York Metro tennis community

Pierre and LoBosco receive all-conference honors

Pierre

LoBosco

Junior Tathiana Pierre, originally from Bishop Ford in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Senior Victoria LoBosco, originally from Archbishop Molloy in Glendale, N.Y. of the St. Joseph’s College of Brooklyn women’s ten-

nis team, were both named to the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) All-Conference Team following the conclusion of the HVIAC Championships. This is the first time Pierre has earned the accolade, and the second time LoBosco has received the honor, last receiving it as a sophomore in 2012. Both helped the Lady Bears produce finalists in eight of nine flights and took home a program-best runner-up finish in the championships. The three-time HVIAC Player of the Week and two-time AD3I Player of the Week, Pierre tied for the most singles wins in a

season with seven. She reached the finals at number one singles, following an 8-5 semifinal victory over Berkeley. LoBosco finished the season with four wins, including a 3-3 record at the number three singles position. She teamed up with Pierre at number one doubles, where they would go 4-6, and finished 3-1 in the conference. It culminated when the duo would blank Nancy Varughese & Samantha Gomez of the College of New Rochelle to reach the finals in the HVIAC Championships.

NYIT Bears clinch third straight ECC title With a three-set thriller, sophomore Gabriela Siembab from Chrzanow, Poland clinched the match to give the NYIT women’s team their third straight East Coast Conference (ECC) Championship. The Bears defeated the Knights of Queens (N.Y.) 5-3. Siembab won the match for NYIT with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Angelika Sobiecka at third singles.

The Bears started the match down 2-0 due to an insufficient roster and defaulted at third doubles and sixth singles. Queens then won second doubles 8-0 to lead 3-0, but NYIT started its rally with an 8-2 win at first doubles. Down 3-1 in singles play, NYIT knotted the score at 3-3, with Alessia Rossetti from Minusio, Switzerland’s 6-3, 6-1 win over Jenna Plevako.

Staten Island’s Aziz enjoys excellent winter season Miriam Aziz of New Springville on Staten Island has racked up two tournament victories this winter. Aziz defeated Sonal Matta from Elk Grove Village, Ill. 6-4 6-2 in the semifinals and beat Allison Bach from Riva, Md. 6-0 63, in the finals to win the USTA National Open 12U Singles Championship at the Five Seasons Sports Club in late November. Aziz’s winter featured more victories as her and partner, Mia Kintiroglou of Livingston, N.J., defeated Erika Rems from South Plainfield, N.J. & Riya Ravi from Upper Saddle River, N.J. 6-3, 6-2, to win the USTA National

Empire Doubles 12 and Under Tournament at Centercourt Tennis Club in early December. In the semifinals, Aziz and Kintiroglou topped Valencia Xu from Livingston, N.J. and Reimi Kosaka from Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 63, 6-2. Aziz’s latest victory came at the USTA Grand Prix Sectional 12U Singles tournament, defeating Elyse Wagle of Niksayuna, N.Y. 6-2, 6-4 in the championship at Sportime Bethpage. Pictured to the left, Miriam Aziz (left) with runner-up Elyse Wagle (right) at Sportime Bethpage.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

Across Metro N Centercourt’s Joshi honored with National Sportsmanship Award Abhijeet Joshi from Millington, N.J., who trains at Centercourt, was awarded the Junior Team Tennis U18 National Sportsmanship Award at the 2014 USTA Junior Team Tennis 18 and Under Advanced National Championships, held at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center in Cayce, S.C. “It doesn’t surprise me that he is being recognized, as he is a role model for other players,” Julie Bliss Beal, director of competition at USTA Eastern said. “He’s a great person and a great tennis player and has been recognized in the Section for both.” In the past, Joshi has won USTA Eastern’s Sportsmanship Award, and has been honored at the annual USTA Eastern Junior Awards Gala for his top performance on court in his age division.

JMTA players take part in invitation-only event at National Tennis Center Dominick Mosejczuk (pictured here on the left) and Julia Werdiger (pictured here on the right), who train at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, recently competed in an invitationonly 10 & Under Match Play at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, coordinated by USTA National Junior Development Coach Erik Kortland. The event featured six players, two girls and four boys, split into two teams to compete in a Davis Cup/Fed Cup-style match. "I was so proud of how both Dom and Julia represented JMTA with hard work during every point, and smiles after every point," said JMTA Associate Director Nate Emge, pictured here in the center. "This was a great experience for the kids and also for me!"

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

ew York New

… News and notes from across the New York Metro tennis community

USTA Metro welcomes the holiday season Four past presidents of the USTA Eastern Metro Region joined with current USTA Eastern Metro Region President Jackie Clark at the Region’s recent Metro Holiday Party. Pictured here, Tim Heath, Carl Sommer, Mark McIntyre, Jackie Clark and Skip Hartman ring in the 2014 holiday season.

Stadium Tennis Center hosts Metro Junior Team Tennis Registration and Kick-Off Party Stadium Tennis Center recently hosted the Metro Junior Team Tennis Registration and Kick-Off Party. The event marks the start of the USTA Metro Junior Team Tennis season, and on-site registration was available for all intermediate and advance junior players ages seven through 18.

Centercourt trainees sign Letters of Intent Anna Ulyashchenko and Isaac Stolar, both who train at Centercourt, have signed national Letters of Intent for their prospective schools in 2015. Anna will be receiving a full tennis scholarship to Wake Forest University, while Isaac will play next fall for the Citadel Bulldogs. Pictured here, Anna Ulyashchenko with her supporters signing her Letter of Intent to attend Wake Forest in the fall of 2015.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

Across Metro New York … News and notes from across the New York Metro tennis community

Columbia men’s tennis matches program’s best ranking in 2015 ITA poll Fresh off the program’s best ever finish at the NCAA Championships and a record-setting season, the Columbia men’s tennis team enters 2015 ranked 16th on the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Poll the ITA. The Lions match the top ranking in school history, which was reached earlier last season. Columbia, who competed at three premier fall tournaments and three championships this fall, ended last spring ranked at number 17. Winston Lin headlines a pair of Lions on the singles poll as the senior comes in at 22 after capturing the Northeast Regional Championship and posting a 12-3 record this fall, including six victories over ranked opponents.

NYC’s Yee family named Tennis Family of the Year

Taken from USTA Eastern’s Web site.

Gary, Cathy and Kyle Yee of New York City were named as USTA Eastern’s Tennis Family of the Year for their substantial service to the game of tennis. The Yee family will receive the award at USTA Eastern’s Tennis Conference on Jan. 31 at the Renaissance Hotel in White Plains, N.Y. “It’s quite an honor to receive this award,” Cathy Yee said. “It’s very unexpected. Tennis has always just been a part of our lives.” Cathy made her mark in the New York City tennis community more than five years ago by creating the competitive junior program at Riverside Clay Tennis Association 18

(RCTA). Cathy also hosted Junior Team Tennis (JTT) at RCTA, and was the JTT coordinator for the Metro region. Gary, Cathy’s husband, grew up playing tennis, as his mother, Amy Yee, developed a strong tennis community in Seattle. In doing so, Amy was inducted into the USTA Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame. Amy, with help from her children, held free clinics for anyone interested in learning the game of tennis. “Her children, much like her, have a very giving attitude and outlook toward helping others make the most of their tennis game,” Cathy said. “Through their contin-

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

ued participation in the sport, all four of her children earned tennis scholarships.” Gary has taught tennis for more than 40 years, and is now a teaching professional at RCTA. He enjoys helping all athletes, competitive or not, improve their game by directly identifying problem areas. Like his father, Kyle learned to play tennis at a young age. He competed in JTT, and now helps teach kids tennis at RCTA during the summer. “It’s really great because tennis is a sport you can play when you’re older,” Cathy said. “As a mother, it’s nice to see that Kyle and his dad can go out and hit.”

Youth Tennis Leagues. Let’s Play.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

NYJTL Hosts 90 Kids for Annual 8 & Under Tournament B Y M AT T H E W C O H E N Credit photos to Matthew Cohen

ew York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) hosted its Annual 8 & Under Tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in early December. Ninety underprivileged children, from seven winter Community Tennis Programs

N 20

(CTPs) and 18 elementary schools located throughout the five boroughs, gathered for the annual event. “My favorite thing about the weekend tournaments is that we get students coming from all over the City, from different

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

types of programming, to play in a citywide event,” said Jessica Bailey, senior director of education for NYJTL. “We started the Play Days back in 2010, and since the implementation of the 10 & Under tournaments, we are able to bring

some friendly/healthy competition to the program. Instead of skill competitions such as bouncing balls, keeping the ball on the racquet, relay races, etc., we are doing something that feels and looks like tennis,” said Ron Nano, general manager of the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, NYJTL’s new $26.5 million tennis and community center in Crotona Park, scheduled to open in early 2015. Thirty staff members, including on-site directors, coaches, volunteers and group leaders, along with 10 volunteers, gathered on three courts where the children were broken up into age groups ranging from five- to eight-years-old. “I’m having a blast! It’s a great place to learn and make some new friends,” said seven-year-old William Thitithamasak, who wants to be a tennis player when he grows up and has been playing tennis for three years at the NTC, Whitestone Tennis Center and Roosevelt Island. The structure of the round-robin tournament was that each kid in their respective age group plays one another to five and the player with the highest point

total wins on that court. “We are elevating the tennis aspect today and starting to teach the kids that it’s okay to loose and that you’re not going to get a medal or a trophy every time,” said Scott Daly, manager of community tennis for NYJTL. “First, second and third place get medals, and the rest get great long sleeved sweatshirts and certificates of completion.” “It’s a great start for the 10 & Under tournaments, as parents come out and see the hard work their kids put in … this is the fruition here,” said Gary Davis, who has been with NYJTL since 2003 and is currently a coach at PS 191 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Medal winners from the event:

Seven-Year-Old Division 1. Jadah Bentham 2. Ahshar Sabard 3. Jesse Vasquez Eight-Year-Old Division 1. Strahinga Maslo 2. Henry Cuamani 3. Gabrella Gerstman (tied) 3. Benjamin Akilov (tied)

Five-Year-Old Division 1. Roaa Youseff 2. Tadija Maslo 3. Emmanuel Akilov Six-Year-Old Division 1. Leif Emery 2. Mane Kostic 3. Richard Cuamani

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

From Young Beginner to Player: Fin By Xavier Luna t’s a common and often contentious debate among tennis instructors: Should we train young players with the standard yellow tennis ball or use the progressive red-to-orange-togreen approach? The latter—which relies on slower, less compressed tennis balls—is gaining momentum in tennis circles worldwide. In fact, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) recommends this approach because it better hones players’ developing skills and makes the game more fun. Still wondering whether this is the more effective method? According to a recent study, the answer is “yes.” But before we get into the details, allow me to share my personal experience.

Early frustration even for a dedicated youngster When I was six-years-old, my father, Alberto Luna, introduced me to the game of tennis. Although my strokes were not very good, I learned discipline and how to win. I remember how difficult it was to hit a yellow ball, which at the time seemed small and very hard. As I look back, I wish I had started with today’s method. While I owe everything to my father for introducing me to tennis, my frustration level as a youngster was very high. What kept me playing initially was my desire to please my dad—I wasn’t able to enjoy the game yet. I was a nationally-ranked player by the age of 10, but I felt discouraged. I never had time to incorporate proper tennis technique into my game. Instead of learning with age-appropriate balls, a smaller racquet and smaller court size, I was forced to work with a racquet that was too heavy for my size and a ball that was too small and hard. A timeout for technique It wasn’t until I met Gordon Kent, one of the best coaches in the East, that my game reached a new level. He patiently took the time to work through all of my bad habits 22

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

nding the Best Path of Development and teach me proper technique and form. If not for him, my game would never have reached a higher level. I started to love the sport, and at the age of 45, I still enjoy playing tennis frequently. It was clear to me then and it still is now–that tennis development is about the long-term, not the short-term. A recent study proves this point. A team of instructors from Tennis Australia had some of the best players in the country alternate matches playing with a green ball (75 percent compression) and a standard yellow ball (100 percent compression). In total, 19 matches were recorded from seven different angles to analyze shots and results with each type of ball. Here’s a look at some of the results: l Rallies lasted the same number of shots, but were played at a higher tempo using the green ball (5.25 shots) vs. yellow ball (5.35 shots).

l Contact was made above the shoulder twice as often with the yellow ball than with the green ball. Striking the ball at repeated high contact points can lead to improper form and technique. l More errors, characterized as 1.5 meters or more out, were made using the yellow balls (27 percent) than green balls (20 percent). l More green balls were struck in front of the baseline (39 percent) compared to yellow balls (27 percent), a factor that allowed for more attacking and point control. The benefits of learning with a larger and lighter green ball go on and on. When asked about the use of the green ball, players responded with an increased positive attitude. Evidence versus opinion Many instructors who prefer using only the

standard yellow tennis ball for young players argue that choice of ball is nothing more than personal preference. But the Tennis Australia study proves them wrong. Players using the green ball made fewer errors, had longer rallies, were better able to implement proper form and technique and developed faster than if they were using the yellow ball. For instructors trying to decide on green versus yellow, there’s no debate. Opt for green and give your young players the go-ahead for better development from the start … and for beginning a life-long love of the game! Xavier Luna is director of Advantage AllCity Junior Programs (Roosevelt Island Racquet Club, Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club and New York Tennis Club). He may be reached by phone at (917) 570-9650 or visit www.advantagetennisny.com.

Centercourt Performance Tennis Academy (CPTA) is a one of a kind facility dedicated to the development and performance of tennis players. CPTA features eleven hard courts, one red clay court, a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning center, an indoor turf field and an academic center. Our mission is to help every student-athlete realize his or her potential athletically and academically. Our players respect the game, their peers, parents, and coaches. Our curriculum features comprehensive tennis instruction as well as physical and mental conditioning. CPTA offers both full-time and after-school programs 7 days per week with tournament coaching and travel. Both programs have rolling admissions from September 8, 2014 to June 7, 2015. CPTA also offers an 11-week summer training camp, with van shuttle transportation available for players located in the New York area. Contact us to schedule an appointment and discover the place championships come to train!

Centercourt Performance Tennis Academy 65 Columbia Road, Morristown, NJ www.CentercourtAcademy.com

Contact Clay Bibbee: clay@centercourtclub.com NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA Metro Region

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

USTA Metro Region

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA Metro Region

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

Locals Capture Titles at National Indoor Championships Daniel McGuire & Ben Marks of Sportime were winners of the Men's Open Doubles title

Ariana Rodriguez of the Bronx, with partner Taylor Ng, winners of the Women's Open Doubles competition Mattelson 6-0, 6-2 to win the Men’s s the calendar made the tranOpen Doubles crown. McGuire & sition from 2014 to 2015, the Marks, who are both teaching proBillie Jean King National Tenfessionals at Sportime Syosset, beat nis Center in Flushing Meadows three separate seeded opponents on played host to the USTA National Intheir way to the title. door Championships. The tournaThe Women’s Open Doubles ment featured some of the top bracket saw the top-seeded New players in the region, and consisted Jersey duo of Rima Astatrian & Kelly of five different draws, making for an Williford take on the second-seeded exciting and action-packed series of pair of Taylor Ng of Haddonfield, N.J. matches throughout 2014’s final & Ariana Rodriguez of the Bronx. It week. was the second-seed that came out In the Men’s Open Singles draw, on top, however, as Ng & Rodriguez the title match saw a contest bewon a 7-5, 6-4 straight-set match to tween second-seeded Max Schnur take home the title. of Richmond, Va. take on New York New York City’s Josh Mactaggart (left) and Max Schnur of Just like in the men’s double final, City’s Josh Mactaggart. Schnur, who Richmond, Va. (right) are presented with their championship plays his college tennis at Columbia trophies by Whitney Kraft (center), director of tennis of the USTA the Mixed-Open Doubles bracket came to down to two teams from University, came out victorious out- Billie Jean King National Tennis Center New York. The fifth-seeded lasting Mactaggart 6-4, 6-4 to capSouthampton pair of Hleb Maslau & Simona ture the title. County singles title back in 2012. The second-seeded Long Islander Alexa The Men’s Open Doubles bracket came Weymar knocked off Great Neck’s Alison Graham was able to win the championship down to a battle of two New York duos. Adamski & Brooklyn’s Keith Kessler 6-4, in the Women’s Open Singles field, outlast- Daniel McGuire & Ben Marks, who hail from 6-1 in the title match. The duo did not ing Fairfield, Conn. native Ellyse Hamlin 6- Huntington and Huntington Station, re- drop a set throughout the whole tourna2, 6-7(4), 6-4 in the final. Graham, who is spectively, cruised past Yorktown Heights’ ment on their way to winning the chamfrom Garden City, N.Y., won the Nassau Robert Ferrante & Bedford Hills’ Michael pionship.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

Winter Registrations Open for Metro Corporate Tennis League The Metro Corporate Tennis League, presented by Advantage Tennis Clubs, is a joint initiative of the Metrotennis Community Tennis Association and USTA/EasternMetro. As the local, volunteer-led chapter of USTA Eastern, the USTA Metro Region is committed to promoting and developing the growth of tennis in New York City. Metrotennis CTA, incorporated in 2002, is a 501(c)4 not-for-profit organization that provides USTA Adult Competitive Leagues, Corporate Tennis Leagues, and affordable beginner adult programs in the New York City metropolitan area. Registrations are now open for the Winter 2015 season. The season includes a minimum of six matches. Each match is played for two hours on two courts. Tennis balls and refreshments are provided, and after every match, hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer are served. The season concludes with an end-of-season party where all league participants enjoy a buffet dinner and open bar, tennis, dancing and other 28

activities. The winners of all divisions advance to semifinals or finals for their league. The matches will be held weekday evenings at three area clubs: l West Side Tennis Club, located at 1 Tennis Place in Forest Hills, N.Y. l Roosevelt Island Racquet Club, located at 281 Main Street in Roosevelt Island, N.Y. l CityView Racquet Club, located at 4334 32nd Place (between Skillman Avenue and Queens Boulevard), Penthouse in Long Island City, N.Y. The season will start at the end of January and run until mid-April. The following are our past and present company teams: ABN AMRO Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Allen & Overy AMC Networks

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

AXA Julius Baer Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. Barclays Capital Bloomberg BNP Paribas Brown Brothers Citibank Citigroup Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Coleman Research Group Colgate Palmolive Colliers Credit Agricole Credit Suisse Curtis Brown Davis Polk & Wardell LLP Deloitte & Touche LLP D.E. Shaw & Company Deutsche Bank Dewey & LeBoeuf DoubleClick Ernst & Young LLP Finra

Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto Forbes Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP Gerson Lehrman Group Goldman Sachs Google Group SJR HBO Highbridge Capital Management LLC Horizon Media IBM Americas ING Capital LLC Integrity Financial Group Investment Technology Group Kaye Scholer LLP Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP Lend Lease

McKinsey & Company Merrill Lynch Mizuho Bank Ltd. Mizuho Capital Markets Corporation Moody’s Investors Services Nielsen Nera Neuberger Berman Group LLC NYJTL NYSE Opera Solutions Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler LLP Pfizer Practical Law PricewaterhouseCoopers Proskauer Rose LLP

Prudential Douglas Elliman Rockefeller & Company Schulte, Roth & Zabel LLP Sidley Austin LLP Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & From LLP Societe Generale Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP Sullivan Cromwell LLP The New York Times TheStreet.com Thomson Reuters Tiffany & Company Time Warner Cable Tommy Hilfiger Turner Construction Unilever White & Case LLP Yahoo

We would also like to congratulate the Fall 2014 Advanced Division Champions

We would also like to congratulate the Fall 2014 Advanced Intermediate Division Champions

We would also like to congratulate the Fall 2014 Intermediate Division Champions

For more information, please visit www.metrotennis.com/corporate/main.html or call Luis Espinoza at (347) 886-3117. NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

courtsix New York Tennis Magazine’s Gossip Column By Emilie Katz He’s back ….!!! Juan Martin del Potro plans to make a comeback in 2015, and he will start by participating in the seventh annual Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. The tournament begins Jan. 4, and will mark the first time the Argentine has played since Dubai back in late February.

Tying the knot After nearly a decade together, Andy Murray and Kim Sears are engaged. Murray

and Sears have been a couple for close to nine years, showing that their decision to tie the knot is far from a whirlwind. BBC News states that the pair met at the U.S. Open in 2005 and she has since been present at a slew of his matches. One of their most memorable moments was at Wimbledon in 2013 when cameras caught Murray kissing Sears after beating Novak Djokovic in the Men’s Singles Final.

You’re out!!!! A French chair umpire has received a lifetime ban, becoming the first official suspended for corruption by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU). Morgan Lamri, an umpire on the Futures and Challenger Tours, was banned for life

for violating four articles of the TIU’s anti-corruption program. The 22-year-old Lamri violated articles that address betting on matches and match-fixing. He said he was contacted by the TIU a year ago after he worked a couple of Futures events in France.

Crybaby During a match between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka at the ATP World Tour Finals, the focus shifted from the on-court battle, to one coming from the stands. Wawrinka became increasingly agitated as Federer’s wife, Mirka, yelled from the stands. Wawrinka believed she was talking too loudly as he gathered his concentration. A woman’s voice was heard to be

Are you ready to play? NYJTL has been developing the character of young people through tennis and education since 1971. This year marks an exciting new chapter: the opening of the world-class Cary Leeds Center on April 16th in the Bronx. Visit our improved website – nyjtl.org – to receive the latest news about our services and sites. And now, you can sign up online for community tennis programs, which include free court time, instruction and equipment for students age 5 to 18.

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New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

calling out “cry baby” in response to Albert Hall, helping Mylan WTT Smash Hits raise more than $1 million for the Elton John Wawrinka’s objections. AIDS Foundation, just the second time in the event’s history that they crossed the $1 Time to move on Ivan Lendl, million mark. The night featured five the eight-time matches, starting with Hingis & Watson major tennis beating Clijsters & Lisicki in women’s douchampion, re- bles, 5-4, followed by Tim Henman & Jamie cently put his Murray beating John McEnroe & Andy Roddick 450-acre estate in Goshen, Conn. on the in men’s doubles, 5-0. Lisicki then beat market. The former world number one Watson in women’s singles, 5-3, followed bought the land in the 1980s and had the by Hingis & McEnroe beating Clijsters & four-story Georgian mansion built in 1992. Murray in mixed-doubles, 5-3. The on-court It’s listed with William Pitt of Sotheby’s at action wrapped up with a 5-3 victory for $19,750,000. The 10-bedroom, 12-bath- Henman over Roddick in men’s singles. Team room house also includes an 1,800- Billie Jean beat Team Elton, 22-16. square-foot gym, tennis and basketball courts, and an exercise room. There’s an elevator, indoor and outdoor pools, along with a guest house, cabana and horse barn.

Wozniacki and the gridiron Caroline Wozniacki has had a busy offseason, running in the New York City Marathon and going on vacation with Serena Williams. But, she reportedly still found time to meet her new boyfriend, Ryan Kerrigan, who plays defensive end for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). The two were seen attending a benefit dinner together.

Billie Jean King and Sir Elton John Raise $1 Million-Plus Billie Jean King, Elton John and a slew of WTA and ATP World Tour stars raised over $1 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation at Mylan WTT Smash Hits. WTA stars Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, Sabine Lisicki, Heather Watson and, of course, WTA legend and founder Billie Jean King, were all a part of a magical night at Royal

Tweets from the pros l Andy Roddick (@andyroddick): London I’ve missed you … Happy to be back! l Serena Williams (@SerenaWilliams): You can do whatever you set your mind to. l Gael Monfils (@Gael_Monfils): Thx to the @iptl for the amazing 3 weeks. Very proud and lucky to be part of the first edition. You guys rocked! Thank u so much again! l Venus Williams (@VenusesWilliams): RT @EleVenbyVenus: Cutting ribbon on #WilliamsArena #WashDC, renovated @SETLC_Tennis. Six indoor courts #tennis 4 kids! l Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios): Tough running session with the star @KikiMladenovic—anytime. l Milos Raonic (@MilosRaonic): When you want something you go out and you get it. The best feeling is having put in all that work to have your aspirations come true! l Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert): Could Gwen Stefani be any lovelier? l Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole): #1. Thank you all, especially my #nolefam. It has been a crazy and wonderful year. l Roger Federer (@RogerFederer): The great moments I spent here will forever be in my memory. Thank you New Delhi! Tremendous crowd support! Forever grateful l Lindsay Davenport (@LDavenport76): Not in a hurry to leave. Two weeks in paradise. Back to reality. See you soon Ko-

hanaiki. Love Kona. l Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal): Today is #HumanRightsDay. All my support in creating a more equal society. l Victoria Azarenka (@Vika7): All about the kids today @ChildrensLA I had a great time meeting with all the kids and making their holiday more fun :) l John Isner (@JohnIsner): My Canadian friend, @domesticdrew, thinks Bret Hart was better than the HBK Shawn Michaels. Can y’all please help out and settle this 4 me. l Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki): From the Dubai International Film Festival. Loved the movie, Escobar Paradise Lost. Would definitely recommend it! l Aga Radwanska (@ARadwanska): So happy to announce @Martina as the newest member of my coaching team! l Mardy Fish (@MardyFish): @JohnIsner, who wins the geek bowl today? Harvard or Yale? l Sabine Lisicki (@SabineLisicki): One more tuff session to go & then Christmas shopping to get the last gifts! Have you got all your presents yet?! #hardworkouts #xmas l Noah Rubin (@Noahrubin33): Thanks Air France 0 for 8 with baggage! Your stats are unreal. Really messing up my day. l Sloane Stephens (@SloaneTweets): Unless they know you PERSONALLY, don’t take it personal. l Eugenie Bouchard (@GenieBouchard): 6th anti-doping visit this off season … Think we’re good guys #tiredgenie l Justin Gimelstob (@JustinGimelstob): I’m excited 2 be coaching @JohnIsner. He is a unique talent, I look forward 2 helping him maximize his vast potential. l Angelique Kerber (@angeliquekerber): My first helicopter flight was amazing! Looking forward to the next one!!! l CoCo Vandeweghe (@cocovandey): If I can feel your breath down the back of my neck, you are standing too close to me. #PersonalSpace l Tomas Berdych (@tomasberdych): Happy new year world!! Let’s make 2015 even more special!! l Grigor Dimitrov (@grigordimitrov): Trying my own dish, well with a bit of help of course. #cookingskills #healthylunch

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

A Collegiate Coach Recruiting Adventure:

On the Road Again By Lonnie Mitchel t’s recruiting season again for us college coaches. I’m on the road quite often, driving my car to different tennis venues, diners and homes, meeting several families who want their children to get a great education and the opportunity to be a student/athlete playing tennis in college. The

dilemma for parents rears its head over and over, Division I or II vs. Division III? I now have a theme to write about while navigating my vehicle on the country roads en route to an indoor tennis facility in chilly Rochester, N.Y. I want to be controversial, and I want to get your attention in this article. What do I have to do? Education first … not tennis. So, here is the latest adventure in my recruiting adventures as I fill out my ros-

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

ter for the upcoming 2015-2016 season. I met a young woman on this trip who is possibly what many tennis coaches would consider Division I tennis talent. They had another child who had played Division I sports, and they quickly discovered their error as the amount of time spent practicing the sport to fulfill the scholarship requirements was quite disproportionate to the time spent on studying and preparing for life after college.

So here I am, talking to a family whose daughter is now committed to and is going to play high-level tennis, and get a great education at a Division III institution. This is all happening right here at the college where I coach! I was successful. I got the message across to this nice family. They got it … education will make the ultimate difference. Another tennis director of a New York area academy laughed when one of my male players decided to commit and get an education while playing collegiate tennis at the college where I coach. That was not a misprint, the director really did laugh. That same director, an individual with more than 250 young children in his program, has maybe three or four students in the academy that would actually get a sniff at my starting lineup. Maybe I should chuckle too, but I know that there are so many institutions and divisions to choose from. However, laughing at a student for playing collegiate tennis and getting a good education is deplorable. I do, however, have wonderful relationships with tennis academies who want to do right by their students by giving choices, and I commend them for it. I am declaring war! I am declaring war on tennis academies that tout their program as the best and celebrate the students who go only to Division I colleges. Please give your students and parents the right information. Here is a statistic for you, 87 percent of Division III athletes graduate, and only 81 percent do so at

the Division I level. Seventy-five percent of student/athletes at the Division III level receive some form of non-athletics grants or scholarships and only 53 percent of Division I athletes receive athletic scholarship money. The grants and scholarships received at Division III usually are more than the athletic scholarship itself. Division III schools may not offer athletic scholarships, but they certainly know how to use grants and aid to help reduce cost. Furthering the good news for athletes is that your ability in athletics can help you even if it is a non-scholarship school that you are looking at. This program could be at the Division III level, but if they think you are good enough, they are going to find a number of different ways to help you out financially. Scholarship money for sports is hard to come by–only the most talented athletes will qualify–and even if a coach is considering you for an athletic scholarship, most of these scholarships are not the “free rides” that we all hear about. Many coaches are given a fixed amount of scholarships, but then may divide them among several recruits, so the result is that no single player receives more than a few thousand dollars. That is the truth. Then the coach will have the players up at 5:30 a.m. three days a week or late at night in the offseason doing their workouts. Don’t you want your sons and daughters rested and studying? Don’t you want them getting into professional organizations and in-

terning in their intended profession as well? Now, make no mistake about it, we work hard at Division III in season and only in season. We travel, we dine together, we stay at hotels, travel to warm destinations and work hard at the craft of tennis … work very hard! We also turn out students who are very ready to tackle their intended profession. I am not declaring war on Division I or II institutions that all do a great job in their athletic programs of course. I am only declaring war on the tennis academies that think only outstanding success lies in sending their tennis pupils to a Division I institution. Turn your nose up at us if you want to, but if you really want to add value to your programs, give your students the choices that are really out there in the college marketplace. Parents want choices, kids want choices and you will be adding to your credibility in a way that you never thought possible. Variety is the spice of life and there are more than 440 Division III institutions to choose from, with 183,500 student athletes. They all could not be wrong. Lonnie Mitchel is head men’s and women’s tennis coach at SUNY Oneonta. Lonnie was named an assistant coach to Team USA for the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel for the Grand Master Tennis Division. Lonnie may be reached by phone at (516) 414-7202 or e-mail lonniemitchel@yahoo.com.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

BNP Paribas Showdown to Feature Federer Meeting Dim ennis legends Monica Seles and Gabriela Sabatini will face each other in a 25th anniversary rematch of their famed 1990 five-set WTA Championship final in the 2015 BNP Paribas Showdown, set for March 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Seles leads the career head-to-head 11-3 over Sabatini. In addition to the Seles-Sabatini match, Roger Federer will face Grigor Dimitrov and headline the annual tennis showcase. The two legendary women’s players were paired against each other in the finals of the seasonending Virginia Slims Championships at Madison Square Garden. After nearly four hours of tennis, the second-seeded Seles, a then 16-year-old from Yugoslavia, outlasted the third-seeded Sabatini 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, in front of 17,290 fans. Seles became the youngest player to ever win the tournament and it was the first time two women played a five-set professional match since the 1901 U.S. Nationals in Philadelphia. “It will be great to be back on the court at Madison Square Garden, where I have so many fun memories from playing the WTA Championships,” said Seles. “The Showdown on World Tennis Day has become another event at The Garden that all of the players want to play so I look forward to an exciting night of tennis with Gaby, Roger and Grigor. It should be a great event.” Seles is a former world number oneranked player and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. She won nine Grand Slam singles titles,

eight before the age of 20, and became the youngest-ever French Open champion at the age of 16. She was the year-end world number one in 1991 and 1992, and played her last professional match at the 2003 French Open. “New York has a very special place in my heart and to be back at Madison Square Garden will be such a special moment,” said Sabatini. “I am very excited that I will

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

see and play Monica again. Throughout my career, I loved every time I traveled to New York. I am excited and I will look forward to being part of the World Tennis Day on March 10.” Sabatini was one of the leading players on the women’s circuit in the late-1980s and early-1990s. The Argentine won the women’s singles title at the U.S. Open in 1990, the women’s doubles title at Wimbledon in 1988, two WTA Year-End Championships in 1988 and 1994, and a silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games. Headlining the night, Roger Federer will return to MSG to face Grigor Dimitrov. Federer, currently ranked second in the world, will make his third appearance in the BNP Paribas Showdown. Federer holds several men’s world records, including holding the world number one ranking for an unprecedented 302 weeks, including 237-consecutive weeks from 2004-2008, and winning 17 Grand Slams. The young rising star Dimitrov is often compared to Federer, and is currently ranked 11th on the ATP Men’s Singles Rankings, and he will be making his MSG debut. He recently cracked the top 10 when he climbed to number eight after reaching the Wimbledon semifinals in 2014. Dimitrov is the only Bulgarian tennis player to ever be ranked in the top 10. He’s also the first Bulgarian to win an ATP singles title (Stockholm in 2013) and reach a final in doubles (in 2011), as well as the only one to reach the third round or better at a Grand Slam tournament. “It’s huge and I’m unbelievably excited. I did have the honor twice already to do it, once against Pete Sampras and once

mitrov and Classic Matchup Between Seles and Sabatini 2015 BNP Paribas Showdown: Tale of the Tape Roger Federer vs. Grigor Dimitrov Swiss Nationality Bulgarian August 8, 1981 Birth Date May 16, 1991 Basel, Switzerland Birthplace Haskova, Bulgaria Bottmingen, Switzerland Residence Monte Carlo, Monaco 1998 Turned Pro 2008 Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand) Right-handed (one-handed backhand) 2 2014 Ranking 11 996-227 Career Singles Record 136-94 17 Grand Slam Titles 0

Monica Seles vs. Gabriela Sabatini Hungarian/Yugoslavian Nationality Argentinean December 2, 1973 Birth Date May 16, 1970 Novi Sad, Serbia Birthplace Buenos Aires, Argentina Sarasota, Florida Residence Buenos Aires & Boca Raton, Florida 1989 Turned Pro 1985 Left-handed (two-handed both sides) Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand) 595-122 Career Singles Record 632-189 9 Grand Slam Titles 1

against Andy Roddick and both nights were very special,” said Federer. “I’ve played in many arenas and many cool places around the world but, there is nothing like MSG. That is why when I heard there is another opportunity for me to come back and people wanted to see me, it got

me going and I can’t wait for March 10.” The two top players faced each other once before in Basel, Switzerland with Federer beating Dimitrov 6-3, 7-6 (2) in a quarterfinal match. “Growing up, Roger was one of my heroes,” said Dimitrov. “To play him on such a

stage is definitely an honor for me. I am really happy and excited to be part of the event since it is one of the biggest sporting venues. This will absolutely be different. I’m getting goose bumps thinking about it. I’m just going to really enjoy it and embrace the moment.”

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

National Tennis Center Hosts Successful One-on-One Doubles Tournament

The National Prize Money One-on-One Doubles Tournament and Live rockin’ blues concert returned to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with a great night of tennis and music. The tournament was won by former Auburn Tiger player Daniel Cochrane, who defeated former Clemson Tiger Derek DiFazio in the finals, 6-1. Cochrane took home $1,000, while the runner-up DiFazio won $500. Former college players were all over the draw, as two former Florida Gators advanced to the semifinals. One-on-One Doubles is the half-court serve and volley singles game played on the doubles court. All points are played crosscourt with the alley included. This event is unique to the tennis industry, as both a pro tennis tournament and live concert take place simultaneously to create a fan-friendly,

One-on-One Doubles Director Ed Krass, with event winner Daniel Cochran, formerly of Auburn; runner-up Derek DiFazio, former Clemson Tiger; and USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Director of Tennis Whitney Kraft

party-like atmosphere. The competition level was extremely high, as the winner of the Pro One-on-One Doubles Grand Prix Circuit, played in Florida earlier this year, was a participant at the National Tennis Center, along with a number of other national-level players. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis

T E N N I S

Center supplied a great buffet of food and drinks as recording artists, The F&G Blues Band, played their brand of blues as the matches progressed. Many thanks to One-onOne Doubles Director Ed Krass for putting on such a successful event. For more information, visit www.oneononedoubles.com.

R U S H

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New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

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New York

Girls Compete for State Title By Brian Coleman

2014 NYSPHSAA Singles Champion Ester Chikvashvili with the 2014 NYSPHSAA Doubles Champions Celeste Matute & Courtney Kowalsky he New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Championships took place in Latham, N.Y., as the top girls high school tennis players traveled to upstate New York to compete in the state championships. Yuka Lin of the Mary Louis Academy in Jamaica came extremely close to playing for the state title. The eighth-seeded Lin played excellent in her opening match, defeating Clarence’s Nicole Kozinski 6-1, 6-0. In the next round, she took on a fellow New York City player, Bronxville’s Chrissy Simon. Lin was able to outlast Simon 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals. She drew a matchup with 2014 Suffolk County

Champion Courtney Provan of Half Hollow Hills West, and was able to advance after Provan withdrew due to injury. Unfortunately, the run would stop there for Lin, who lost to Half Hollow Hills East’s Ester Chikvashvili in the semifinals. Chikvashvili would go on to capture the state singles title, defeating the fifth-seeded Tomo Iwasaki of Edgemont, N.Y. in the finals. St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows, N.Y. had a number of its players qualify for the tournament. Amalia Parrish and Lisa Ellie both represented the school in the girls singles bracket, but both fell short in their respective first-round matchups. The duo of Julia Scapp & Abigail Raphael represented

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

the school in doubles, but lost a hardfought two-set bout in the first round. Lin wasn’t the only player from Mary Louis Academy in the state tournament, as Camille Uy and Mia Parrish were able to reach the second-round before falling short in their next match. In the doubles final, Oyster Bay’s Courtney Kowalsky & Celeste Matute defeated the topseeded team of Sydney Kaplan & Courtney Ollis of Suffern 6-4, 6-4 top capture the Girls Doubles Championship. Brian Coleman is senior editor for New York Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by email at brianc@usptennis.com.

Locals Elbaba and Rubin Lead Team USA to International Collegiate Title hile most of their compatriots are prepping for semester-end finals, Wake Forest freshman and 2014 Wimbledon boys’ champion Noah Rubin, along with University of Virginia junior Julia Elbaba from New York; and UCLA senior Robin Anderson from New Jersey each took a break to win singles matches leading the United States to a 4-1 victory over host France in the Master’U BNP Paribas Finals. The victories earned the U.S. its fourth straight title at the international collegiate team competition. Boise State men’s coach Greg Patton and California women’s coach Amanda Augustus served as coaches for the team. Elbaba, the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Champion, went 3-0 in singles over the three-day competition, as the U.S. team—also featuring University of Georgia senior Nathan Pasha (At-

lanta), University of Virginia sophomore Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Charlotte, N.C.) and UCLA senior Chanelle Van Nguyen (Miami)—defeated Ireland, Russia and France to bring the U.S. its fifth Master’U

title, all coming since 2009. Each match consisted of two men’s and two women’s singles matches, one women’s and one men’s doubles match and a mixed doubles match.

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NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

A Look Back at the Y BY EMILIE KATZ

2014 Grand Slam Champions

French Open

Wimbledon

l Men’s Singles: Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 (winners’ prize money: $2,140,000) l Men’s Doubles: Julien Benneteau & Edouard Roger-Vasselin defeated Marcel Granollers & Marc Lopez 6-3, 76 (winners’ prize money: $520,000) l Women’s Singles: Maria Sharapova defeated Simona Halep 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 (winners’ prize money: $2,140,000) l Woman’s Doubles: Su-Wei Hsieh & Shuai Peng defeated Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-1 (winners’ prize money: $520,000) l Mixed-Doubles: Anna-Leon Groenefeld & Jean-Julien Rojer defeated Julia Georges & Nenad Zimonjic 4-6, 6-2, 107 (winners’ prize money $548,000)

l Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 (winners’ prize money: $2,860,000) l Men’s Doubles: Vasek Pospisil & Jack Sock defeated Bob & Mike Bryan 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 (winners’ prize money: $525,000) l Women’s Singles: Petra Kvitova defeated Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0 (winners’ prize money: $2,860,000) l Women’s Doubles: Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci defeated Timea Babos & Kristina Mladenovic 6-1, 6-3 (winners’ prize money: $525,000) l Mixed-Doubles: Nenad Zimonjic & Sam Stosur defeated Max Mirnyi & HaiChing Chan 6-4, 6-2 (winners’ prize money: $163,000)

Australian Open

l Men’s Singles: Stanislas Warwinka defeated Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 (winners’ prize money: $2,395,000) l Men’s Doubles: Robert Lindstedt & Lukasz Kubot defeated Eric Butorac & Raven Klaasen 6-3, 6-3 (winners’ prize money: $470,000) l Women’s Singles: Li Na defeated Dominika Cibulkova 7-6, 6-0 (winners’ prize money: $2,395,000) l Women’s Doubles: Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci defeated Elena Makarova & Elena Vesnina 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 (winners’ prize money $470,000 l Mixed-Doubles: Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor defeated Sania Mirza & Horia Tecau 6-3, 6-2 (winners’ prize money: $135,500)

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New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

l Men’s Singles: Marin Cilic defeated Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 (winners’ prize money: $3,000,000) l Men’s Doubles: Mike & Bob Bryan defeated Marcel Granollers & Marc Lopez 6-3, 6-4 (winners’ prize money: $520,000) l Women’s Singles: Serena Williams defeated Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3 (winners’ prize money: $3,000,000) l Women’s Doubles: Elena Makarova & Elena Vesnina defeated Martina Hingis & Flavia Pennetta 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 (winners’ prize money: $520,000) l Mixed-Doubles: Sania Mirza & Bruno

Year That Was 2014 Soares defeated Abigail Spears & Santiago Gonzalez 6-1, 2-6, 11-9 (winners’ prize money: $150,000)

ATP Year-End Award Winners

l ATP World Tour Number One Player: Novak Djokovic clinched the ATP world number one for a third time, also accomplishing the feat in 2011-2012. Overall in 2014, he won six titles, including Wimbledon and four ATP Tour Masters 1000 crowns. l ATP World Tour Number One Doubles Team: Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan will finish as the number one duo in the ATP Doubles Team Rankings for a sixth successive year and record 10th time overall. The 36-year-old twins won nine titles in 2014, including the U.S. Open and six ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events. l ATP Stars of Tomorrow: This award is presented to the youngest player in the Top 100 of the ATP rankings. Borna Coric, who began the season ranked outside the top 300, broke into the top 100 on Oct. 27 and reached a career-high ranking of 92. The 17-year-old Croatian made his Grand Slam debut as a qualifier at the U.S. Open. His biggest victory was a win over Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of a tournament in Switzerland. l Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award: Fellow players voted Switzerland’s Roger Federer as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the 10th time and fourth year in a row. l ATP Most Improved Player of the Year: Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut climbed from a year-end ranking of 59 last season to a career high of 14 in 2014. He claimed his first ATP Tour title in June, and fin-

l l l

ished the season with 45 match wins, 19 more than his previous career-high. ATP Comeback Player of the Year: After breaking his left wrist in September 2013, David Goffin returned to the courts at the beginning of 2014 with a ranking of 110th in the world. By the end of June, he only recorded two main draw wins, but after Wimbledon, Goffin couldn’t stop winning. He compiled a 44-4 match record from July onwards. He finished the season with a career-high ranking of 22. ATP Fan Favorite Singles Player: Roger Federer was voted Fan Favorite for a record 12th straight year. ATP Fan Favorite Doubles Team: Bob & Mike Bryan set a record this year with their 10th time winning the award. Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award: One of Andy Murray’s best friends, former player Ross Hutchins, was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, though thankfully his cancer went into remission. Another of Murray’s friends, British tennis player Elena Baltacha, was diagnosed with cancer of the liver and passed away at the age of 30. Wanting to help, Murray took part in fundraising exhibitions for Hutchins and Baltacha at Queens Club

and this fall, appeared in a sketch that was a part of Channel 4 in England’s “Stand Up to Cancer” programming. Murray has also raised awareness for UNICEF, United for Wildlife and Malaria No More. l Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award: San Francisco-based Douglas Robson has been the lead tennis writer for USA Today since 2003. He has been a journalist for two decades, covering a variety of sports, business and generalinterest topics.

WTA Year-End Award Winners

l WTA Fan Favorite Player: Agnieszka Radwanska was voted by the fans as the WTA Fan Favorite Player for the fourth straight year. l WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team: The Italian duo of Sara Errani & Roberta continued on page 42

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

a look back at the year that was 2014 continued from page 41

Vinci have secured the year-end number one ranking, as well as being voted fan favorites. WTA Fan Favorite Tournament: The fans voted for the 2014 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global as their Favorite Tournament of the Year. Fan Favorite WTA Match of the Year: Serena Williams vs. Caroline Wozniaki from the 2014 WTA Finals, where Serena regained her composure after smashing her racket and being on the brink of defeat to come back to beat Wozniacki 2-6, 6-3, 7-6. WTA Player of the Year: American Serena Williams finished 2014 as the number one ranked player on the WTA Tour. Serena’s 2014 season was highlighted by six singles titles, including one Grand Slam in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. at the 2014 U.S. Open. WTA Doubles Team of the Year: Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci finished the year as the top-ranked doubles team for a third consecutive year. They have captured five titles in 2014, including the Australian Open in Melbourne and Wimbledon. WTA’s Most Improved Player of the Year: Eugenie Bouchard reached the semifinals at three of the four Grand Slams this year and made it to the finals at Wimbledon. She rose as high as number five in the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings this season, and also qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals. WTA Newcomer of the Year: Seventeen-year-old Belinda Bencic, who became the youngest player to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals in 17 years this summer, was awarded the WTA Newcomer of the Year. Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service: Lucie Safarova earned this award because of her support for fellow players through initiatives such as the WTA Players Council. Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award: Petra Kvitova was voted for this award by her peers on the WTA

Tour. She was acknowledged because of her professionalism, attitude and sense of fair play. l WTA Comeback Player of the Year: Mirjana Lucic-Baroni was a Wimbledon semifinalist at the age of 15, semiretired in her mid-20s and is now the WTA Comeback Player of the Year at the age of 32. Mirjana’s career has come full circle, and her efforts were recognized by winning this award.

Players who retired in 2014 ATP Tour Thirty-three-year-old Nikolai Davydenko retires as one of the greatest Russian players to play on the ATP tour. Davydenko enjoyed a career-best season in 2009, when he won three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles and triumphed at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He also reached four Grand Slam semifinals and helped Russia to the 2006 Davis Cup title. Australian Paul Hanley won 26 ATP World Tour doubles titles in a 17year career. The 36-yearold Hanley, who lived in London for 10 years, has returned to Australia to take up a coaching and management role. Twenty-nine-year-old Ross Hutchins, who won five doubles titles and reached 14 ATP Tour finals, has decided to retire after a 13-year career. He was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in December 2012, but returned to competitive tennis in January of 2014 before announcing his retirement from the sport in September.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

Israeli doubles specialist Andy Ram retired at the age of 34. He had a great career, winning two Grand Slam mixeddoubles titles and one men’s doubles crown.

WTA Tour American Mallory Burdette, best known for reaching the third round of the U.S. Open in 2012, announced her retirement from professional tennis after a year of shoulder troubles. She was just 23-years-old when she announced her exit from the sport in October 2014, after being inactive for over a year due to her shoulder injury. Li Na, Asia’s first Grand Slam singles champion retired in 2014, after a 15-year career due to “chronic” knee injuries at the age of 32. Ranked sixth in the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings at the time of her retirement, she won the French Open in 2011 and the Australian Open in 2014, as well as helping popularize the sport of tennis in Asia.

adult league U S T A L E A G U E S U P D AT E

Congratulations to the following USTA Eastern Metro Region teams for advancing to Nationals in their respective divisions: 18 & Over l 4.5 Men: Michael Doane (captain) l 3.5 Women: Jean Chin/Tamasine Wood-Creighton (captains) l 4.5 Women: Jen Pollack Reiner/Karen Urban (captains) 40 & Over l 4.5 Men: Ian Katz (captain) l 3.5 Women: Diane Ventura (captain) Our 2015 Metro USTA leagues will be starting soon. The Queens Mixed-Doubles League will be starting in mid-January. The Brook-

lyn and Bronx Mixed Leagues will start in January and February. League levels for mixed-doubles are 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0 and 10.0 (for mixed-doubles levels, add each playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s individual rating, i.e., 3.5+3.5=7.0). The 40+ League will be starting up in February, with separate menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teams. Those matches will consist of five courts, two singles and three doubles. Playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s turning the age of 40 in the 2015 calendar year may participate. Matches will take place throughout the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. If interested in playing on a team, please send an e-mail with your name, contact info, NTRP Rating (if known, if not send a brief history of your tennis background) to: info@metrotennis.com Hope everyone had a happy holiday season and a great New Year! Looking forward to a new year with lots of tennis!

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When Being Good is Not Good Enough

NYTennisMag.com â&#x20AC;˘ January/February 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ New York Tennis Magazine

Some Pitfalls of Modern Teaching Techniques

By Lisa Dodson ennis is ever evolving. Professional players are getting faster, stronger and bigger at a greater rate. Rackets, strings, training methods and strokes are changing just as fast. A broad spectrum of online teaching and information is at our fingertips. Watching videos of the top players and emulating them is thought to be the “best” way to do things. The result is an epidemic of misinformation given to the masses of players. Confusion abounds and it is very disturbing. Many club players, USTA league players, tournament players and tennis professionals are highly influenced by what they see and hear. This can be a good thing, given that the information or task an individual is attempting to perform is realistic and timely for their game. This can also be disastrous and end up halting good technique development and causing injury. The problem is that players are not able to tell whether they are ready for, or even need, the

change that they think is so important. We’ll use the serve as an example. There is no question that the serve is a pretty complex stroke. It’s hard enough to produce the basics without adding layers of difficulty. Here is a list of basics that you need before you can think about moving on to bigger and better things: l Continental grip l Racket edge traveling up to the ball l A feeling of pronation (a throw like action using elbow/forearm/wrist/hand) l Trunk and hip rotation for the racket take back and toss arm l A continuous and full drop of the racket in the back of the motion l Stance set so that feet don’t have to move (except lifting and turning the back foot) l A straight-armed toss placed in front of the hitting shoulder l Knowledge that as the front leg pushes up, the back leg pushes forward (and up) l A slice serve

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

Here is a list of things to leave at the court door until you have your basics in place: l Pinpoint stance (moving the back foot up to the front foot) l Bringing toss arm parallel to the baseline l Leaving the ground l A toss located over your head l A kick or topspin serve l Attempts to hit hard, flat serves The basics list above is pretty hefty. Make it your priority to check each item off of your list. If you do you should have some pretty solid form. Then and only then, should you attempt to branch out. Remember, advanced technique is simply the basics done extremely well. With good basics, broadening your game and developing shot selection comes naturally. Let’s create a fun scenario that compares a diver and a server at degree of low difficulty. The beginner diver is really just looking to stop belly flopping and the

server just wants the ball to go over the net and into the box. The diver stands at the edge of the pool, nose plug on, bent over at the waist forming an upside down U, head down and hands pointed like and arrow overhead. They say a quick prayer and hope that they will land without pain or hit the pool bottom. Success! They know how to go head first into the pool safely. The tennis player hitting a serve with a degree of difficulty of one has many similar baseline characteristics. The server stands at the baseline, holds a ball, holds a racket, throws the ball up and hits it. They say a quick, “I hope this goes in,” and let it fly. Success! They can get the ball into the box safely. Should the diver now attempt to do a jackknife off the diving board and the server attempt to hit a slice out wide because they saw it on a video? Well, of course not. Both need to keep developing the right techniques, habits and skills necessary to perform the more difficult movements. Most players lack a realistic picture of what they are doing and it is

common for players to think they are doing a certain thing when, in fact, they are not. It is an easy mistake to unknowingly skip ahead and attempt a movement that does not fit into your game. This is where the modern game can backfire. Players see a serve that looks cool and are told by “experts” that this is the way to do it. Don’t we realize that the people who are making this look so easy are dedicated students of the game and high level, highly motivated athletes? They have already checked off the list of basics above (plus some) years earlier. Those basics are the foundation of the game from which they have made individual modifications and changes. These days the most over used and misunderstood technique currently taught is the pinpoint stance. It is unnecessary for a majority of players and adds many degrees of difficulty to the timing of the serve. There is a time and place for everything. There are far more important elements to address and conquer on the serve. On the other hand, some players feel more natural with the pinpoint. If this

is the case be sure to find a pro to help you that really knows how to make the most of it. If you are a beginner player, it’s best to get some individual instruction initially from a real, live pro, who knows how to teach solid basics and holds you accountable. Anyone who lets you slide is not doing the right thing by you. Remember, as a beginner, you don’t know what you don’t know. Likewise, if you are an intermediate or advanced player, consult a professional who knows their stuff and can figure out what is needed for you at your stage in the game. Don’t get sucked into all of the conflicting and confusing information available on our smartphones and tablets. If you have questions, consult someone you trust with your tennis game. It’s a whole lot more fun that way. Lisa Dodson is owner of Servemaster at The Total Serve, a USPTA Elite Pro, a formerly world ranked player and radio show host. She may be reached by e-mail at lisa@thetotalserve.com or visitwww.thetotalserve.com.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

The Secret to Peak Performance More Than an Athlete, A Person First ... Athlete Second By Rob Polishook, Mental Training Coach MA, CPC What’s the secret to sustained peak performance? Let’s face it … this is the million dollar question! Federer, Monfils, Sharapova … all competitors are trying to solve this great mystery. In the next six articles through 2015, I will highlight a key principle called “More Than an Athlete: Person First. Athlete Second (MTAA.A1.P2)” which I believe is the essential starting point and guiding light to solving the mystery of sustained peak performance. In some ways it’s a paradox, it doesn’t require working harder, pushing, or even pulling. However, it does require that the athlete “let go” and “be themselves” so they are able to play from a grounded place inside their zone. From this state, they will have the capacity and resiliency to deal with challenges, obstacles, and adversity. Ultimately being

able to navigate pressure situations from a clear perspective. But, before we try to solve the mystery, let’s take a step back. Imagine a time when you watched a player who got nervous, was tight or seemingly just froze during competition. You know that “Deer in the Headlights” look? We wonder … how can this happen especially when the athlete (maybe it’s even your own child) has performed the shot hundreds of times in practice? In fact, if we are honest with ourselves … many of us have experienced that situation when we compete. We know, and even feel, that there is that “little something” that gets in the way of us reaching the next level. What is usually holding an athlete back is NOT what’s on the outside. Yes, you read that right, it’s not the part that everyone can see: The athletic talents, skills and technique. These skills can always be improved upon. Isn’t it safe to say hitting 100 extra forehands won’t make a difference if the anxiety that the athlete is holding on the inside pervades

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

and makes him or her tight? In fact, it could actually be counterproductive because your developing bad habits. The key is to look at the whole person, not just what’s on the outside. We always need to look at what’s on the inside of the person, what’s going on below the surface. The block might be a confidence thing, a bad test result at school, the anxiety of losing, an argument with a friend, fear of a reoccurring injury, or a combination of things. But whether it’s a single issue or an accumulation of issues, carrying an overwhelming load on the court can impact your performance every time! Competitors are not robots, what’s on the inside affects how we play on the outside. Let me repeat … what’s on the inside affects what’s on the outside—it’s one and the same. As coaches, parents and even players, we must look at the entire picture to properly get the context of any situation. We must try to understand what the person is experiencing and exactly which triggers these errors/mistakes. The only

way to do this is to look through the lens of the athlete as a person first and an athletic performer second. From this lens, we immediately see a wider perspective, that of the whole person, not just the athletic performance. This newfound visibility allows us to explore the entire picture, what’s happening both on the inside and on the outside. From the person first, athlete second perspective, it’s clear to see playing tight blocks performance, or even choking is not the problem. Rather, it’s a symptom to something else that the athlete is consciously or unconsciously holding which overwhelms them. It’s interesting to note, this overwhelm or otherwise known as a “freeze” response is actually an instinctual defensive reaction that is normal and employed by animals in the wild and humans for self-preservation. However, in the sports arena this isn’t helpful. When an athlete competes, they are not just a tennis player, but a whole person. They are “More Than an Athlete!” Their unique story, distinctive spirit and authentic self are what makes them who they are. This is where their resilience, determination and unique style come from. This is the foundation on which the athlete should build on, NOT the characteristics of others. We all have our own DNA and way in which we are wired, that makes us unique individuals. The key is tapping into this uniqueness, not assim-

“Competitors are not robots, what’s on the inside affects how we play on the outside.” ilating to a one-size-fits-all mentality. Greatness (or flow) at any level starts with the person, and then transcends through the performance. So what happens if an athlete does not understand the synergy between themselves, the person within the athlete? Usually, it’s a fast track to burnout, fears and tears. Certainly they won’t be getting the most of themselves because they are pushing and pulling so hard that they neglect their innate talents. If the coach does not understand the synergy, they will be unable to connect with the player. The player will not trust the coach because they know the coach doesn’t care about them as a person, but only about the sport. Of course you can see how that is counterproductive to motivating and inspiring a player/team. If the parents don’t understand the synergy, they will unknowingly put heavy pressure and expectations on their kids. The kids will feel burdened and understand that the only way to connect or get their parents approval is to play and succeed more.

Clearly this is an impossible uncontrollable situation for a child and leads to bad performance. In the next edition of Long Island Tennis Magazine, I will further expand on solving the mystery of sustained peak performance on the court. Specifically, I will detail the five reasons that “More Than an Athlete. Person First. Athlete Second” is so important and essential to your child’s long-term success both on and off the court. This idea is so intuitive, simple and a clear way to guide and strive for the best results. Once it’s been seen, it cannot be unseen! Rob Polishook, MA, CPC is the founder and director of Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group. He works with athletes in all sports at all levels helping them to break through mental barriers and be their best both as a person and an athlete. Rob has spoken to athletes, coaches, and parents both nationally at USTA, USPTA, ITA conferences, and internationally in India and Israel. Additionally, he is author of Tennis Inside the Zone: Mental Training Workouts for Champions. His work was recently featured in ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 film called Fields of Fear. In prior years, Rob received the USPTA-Eastern Division High School Coach of the Year Award and coached USTA’s 16 and under Zonals. He may be reached by phone at (973) 723-0314, email rob@insidethezone.com or visit www.insidethezone.com.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

Know Your Tennis Strengths

By Bill Longua It sounds obvious that knowing your tennis strengths is a critical part of a successful tennis game, but it goes deeper than that to have success in matches. When you are confident in certain shots that you possess, it will help you determine a game plan in your matches. Not only does this apply to your assets, it will also help you hide the shots that are weaker. Let’s delve into a few examples. It all begins in the warmup. You know what you want to do, but need to see the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses before you can zero in on an actual game plan (note that if you have already played the opponent, you are ahead of the game). Playing in USTA-sanctioned events will keep the playing field fairly even due to the NTRP Rating System, and the same holds true for team tennis. I know readers from other countries have similar systems.

Let’s say you have a strong forehand but a weak backhand and want to try to hide the backhand as much as possible. Here are three ways to try to accomplish this: 1. Hit cross-court: The opponent’s natural and easier response is to hit back cross-court, thus opening up a powerful forehand for you down the line. 2. Hit down the middle so the opponent cannot create angles, which will make it more difficult to get a shot wide to your backhand. With shots coming back to you down the middle, you will be able to step around the backhand and hit your forehand. 3. Use your offensive weapon to create opportunities to attack. When moving inside the baseline to hit a forehand drive, hit the ball down your opponent’s weaker side and move forward towards the net. You will hopefully get a weak return for an easy volley. This will also keep the points shorter and hide that backhand. The same holds true for all of your strengths, if your backhand is stronger, just reverse the above. If you have a great volley, then move in on all short balls or serve and volley. I think you get the picture … do what you do best. I also said to pick out weaknesses during warmups. If you see one side is much weaker, then hit to that side continually until an opening arises for an aggressive play. Maybe you noticed the opponent has a weak volley … then hit a lot of short balls to force your opponent up to the net and take advantage. Remember, most matches are lost by making unforced errors due to poor shot selection. By using your strengths and your opponent’s weaknesses, you will keep within a game plan, cut down on errors because you’re hitting your stronger shots more often. Good luck on the court and have fun! Bill Longua is the tennis director and head pro at Palm Island Resort in Cape Haze, Fla. Bill is a member of the USPTA, has been teaching tennis for more than 35 years and is the author of Winning Test Strokes. Bill also enjoys teaching tennis on his Web site, www.onlinetennistraining.com. Search the Apple App Store or Google Play for Bill’s new 117 lesson app, “Complete Tennis Mastery” or to purchase Bill’s book, visit www.onlinetennistraining.com. He may be reached by e-mail at bill@onlinetennistraining.com. 48

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

Make Your Strokes

Al Dente By Richard Thater find it useful to ask students if they prefer to eat their spaghetti right out of the box, or if they prefer to eat it cooked—al dente. This image helps two types of students: those who hit very stiff strokes, and those who love to finish a stroke with a quick flick of the wrist. For players who arm the ball, thinking of cooked pasta helps them move through the kinetic chain for more fluid strokes. For those with floppy strokes, the phrase “al dente” helps focus awareness on controlling the stroke (a simple way to understand al dente is to think of the pasta as being cooked firm rather than completely water-logged). Although good teaching suggests looking at the entire stroke when making changes, sometimes looking at only one part magnifies mistakes and can lead to easier corrections. When I watch senior players try to copy the forehand topspin strokes used by most pros today, I often recall how badly I damaged my arm because of mistakes I made years ago. Older players frequently use a Continental Grip, which can cause pain when hitting a contact point in front of you. So I often see someone practicing this shot with an open stance, not taking the racket back in a unit turn, but taking

the full impact of the ball with mostly the wrist as they flick it over and down. The instructional photographs used in trying to describe top-spin in some of the tennis magazines in the 1960s usually showed some weird contortions of the wrist in this position. The key is hitting up rather than turning over the wrist. So, keeping the al dente concept in mind, hitting a modern top-spin forehand starts with the racket low, moving forward while maintaining the strings parallel to the net, and finishing with the strings still in a plane with the net as you roll your wrist into the recovery position. Thinking al dente helps keep the stroke controlled throughout, with no wiggle-waggle from over-cooking. You might think of the motion of a forehand top-spin as being similar to that of a windshield wiper. Having the wiper do a quick flick or bounce on the windshield after each rotation would not be a desirable goal. Many studies have shown that keeping the strings parallel to the net works for under-spin, as well as for top-spin, although I have unsuccessfully tried to demonstrate this for myself. It was great watching Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka in their Davis Cup doubles victory. We had a chance to watch two great one-handed backhands, with different finishes to the stroke. Federer finished with a wrist flick, while Wawrinka kept a firm wrist throughout. Despite their differ-

ences, both players’ wrists moved only after the ball had left their rackets. They both hit their flat backhands with a rotating shoulder, and their top-spin backhands with a rising socket. I want to digress briefly to look at the question of gross versus fine motor skills. I suspect that players often rely on their wrists when hitting because it gives them a smaller area, and fewer things to worry about. Hitting a well-developed stroke requires a sequence of controlled steps—a kinetic chain. A casual player may not wish to devote time to learning these skills. With some children and older beginners, I have to watch that they do not sneak their forefinger behind the handle in an attempt to approximate a mini-Eastern forehand. This is an extreme example of the uncooked pasta mistake, since that forefinger has no flex at all. Hopefully, we can use these pasta images to work on the flow, the sequence and the kinetic chain of our strokes. Best wishes for the New Year. Mangia, bon appetite! Richard Thater is a long-time teacher and player on New York City courts. He is PTRcertified in both Junior and Adult Development, and has played in senior tournaments in the Greater New York area. Richard currently teaches at the West Side Tennis Club. He may be reached by phone at (917) 7493255 or e-mail richthater@aol.com.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

HI DDEN SEC R E T S O F T H E G RE AT S

Billie Jean King Gifted revolutionary, idealist, women’s rights activist and, oh yeah ... she could play some excellent tennis too By Dr. Tom Ferraro his marks the final installment in a series which explored the unique character and hidden secrets of the top seven players in modern tennis. We talked about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors and Serena Williams. But today, I will explore the person who President Bill Clinton described as “The most important female in sports history.” President Barack Obama awarded her the Medal of Honor for her work advocating for women and gay rights. Of course I am talking about Billie Jean King, the Southern California girl born in 1943 into a religious family and grew up playing public tennis. She was lucky enough to find a great coach in Clyde Walker, who nourished her psychologically. She went on the win 32 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles titles. But her importance far exceeds her physical achievements. Billie Jean King is really a gifted moralist and political activist of the highest order. She was awarded Sportsman of the Year in 1972 by Sports Illustrated, founded the Women’s Sports Foundation and was the first to demand and obtain an equal share of revenue on the tennis tour. When she first started playing the men were earning 12 times what the women earned. Billie Jean King was the one that changed all that. She did it with tenacity, moral courage, focus and determination. On the court she was an aggressive net rusher with excellent speed. There is no question that she was a great player in her day. But clearly she will go down in history for more then what she did on the court. The reason we now see the name Billie

Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. is because of her leadership skills. If Charles Barkley was not a role model then, Billie Jean King surely was. So when we ask the question, “What was Billie Jean King’s secret and how do we learn from her we do not turn to her on court prowess?” We ask instead of her moral leadership skills. John McEnroe stated she was unquestionably the most important person in the history of women’s sports. So to get at the answer to how all this happened answer this, we must look at her childhood development. ethical development more than her athletic development. She was the first born in a conservative Methodist working class family and her parents taught her the value of “never giving up.” Research on moral giftedness suggests that certain children are born with a heightened sensitivity, compassion, intensity and sense of right and wrong. They are often very protective of others and introverted. One of the leading researchers in this area, Kazimierz Dobrowski describes the morally gifted as delicate, gentle and idealistic. They can be unusually advanced in the areas of psychomotor development, sensuality, imagination, intellect or emotionality. It is obvious that Billie Jean King was one of

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

these children. She can be compared to Jackie Robinson in men sports, a moral and courageous leader that transcended and revolutionized her sport. I am delighted that I got to end this series on the modern champions by talking about Billie Jean King. Sport is a crucial function that allows the culture to remove themselves from the stress of work and the occasional disappointments in one love life. In psychoanalysis, we refer to sports as an essential sublimatory activity, or in laymen’s terms, something that insures that you have some fun in life. But Billie Jean King has transcended even that function and places her on a political level. This is extremely rare to see. In comparison, recall how Tiger Woods responded to any media questions when Martha Burke was making headlines addressing the lack of women members at Augusta National Golf Club. Woods answered with scripted-near-perfect political neutrality. Billie Jean King will be remembered as that rare athlete that transcended her sport and had global and cultural impact. My guess is that her secret was partly because of good parenting and partly good genetics. The world of women’s sports is deeply indebted to her. What we can learn here is that you ought not ignore or underestimate the power of the shy little idealists that you will encounter in your life. These are the ones who maybe just maybe will lead the world into a better place. Thank you Billie Jean King for all of your guts and all of your goodness. For consultations, treatment or on-site visits, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., sport psychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail drtferraro@aol.com or visit www.drtomferraro.com.

NEW YORK TENNIS CLUB

CENTERCOURT PERFORMANCE TENNIS CENTER Clay Bibbee—Managing Partner and Academy Founder 65 Columbia Road Morristown, NJ 07960 (973) 635-1222 clay@centercourtclub.com www.centercourtclub.com GOTHAM TENNIS ACADEMY Eric Faro—Director of Tennis 358 W. End Ave #3A New York, NY 10024 (646) 524-7069 info@gothamtennis.com www.gothamtennis.com MANHATTAN PLAZA RACQUET CLUB Gertrud Wilhelm—General Manager 450 West 43rd Street New York, NY 10036 (212) 594-0554 gwilhelm@advantagetennisclubs.com www.advantagetennisclubs.com MIDTOWN TENNIS CLUB Jennifer Brown—Director 341 8th Avenue New York, NY 10001 (212) 989-8572 midtowntennisnyc@gmail.com www.midtowntennis.com NEW ROCHELLE TENNIS CLUB Juan Rios—Tennis Director 114 Valley Road New Rochelle, NY (914) 633-3388 www.newrochelletennisclub.com NEW YORK TENNIS CLUB Lauren Hartman—General Manager 3081 Harding Avenue Bronx, NY 10465 (718) 239-7916 lhartman.nytci@gmail.com www.advantagetennisclubs.com

DIRECTORY

ROOSEVELT ISLAND RACQUET CLUB Tom Manhart—Membership Director 281 Main Street Roosevelt Island, NY 10044 (212) 935-0250 tmanhart@rirctennis.com www.advantagetennisclubs.com

STADIUM TENNIS CENTER AT MILL POND Joel Kassan—Executive Director 725 Gateway Center Boulevard Bronx, NY 10451 (718) 665-4684 joel@gothamtennis.com www.stadiumtennisnyc.com

SPORTIME HARBOR ISLAND Carlos Campo—General Manager & Director of Tennis In Harbor Island Park P.O. Box 783 Mamaroneck, NY 10543 (914) 777-5151 ccampo@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/harbor-island

TENNIS INNOVATORS NYC Juan Andrade—Executive Director 520 2nd Avenue (Kips Bay Court) 899 10th Avenue (John Jay Court) New York, NY (646) 476-5811 www.tennisinnovators.com

SPORTIME RANDALL’S ISLAND Flagship Home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy Jared Karlebach—Assistant General Manager Allison Hodgkins—Assistant General Manager One Randall’s Island New York, NY 10035 (212) 427-6150 ahodgkins@sportimeny.com jkarlebach@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/manhattan SPORTIME LAKE ISLE Westchester Annex of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy Harel Srugo—General Manager 660 White Plains Road Eastchester, NY 10709 (914) 777-5151 hsrugo@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/lake-isle

USTA BILLIE JEAN KING NATIONAL TENNIS CENTER Whitney Kraft—Director of Tennis Flushing Meadows Corona Park Flushing, NY 11368 (718) 760-6200 kraft@usta.com www.usta.com WEST SIDE TENNIS CLUB Bob Ingersole—Director of Tennis 1 Tennis Place Forest Hills, NY 11375 (718) 268-2300 tennisdirector@foresthillstennis.com www.foresthillstennis.com/index.html

SPORTIME SCHENECTADY Jed Murray—General Manager Philippe Ceas—Director of Tennis 2699 Curry Road Schenectady NY 12303 (518) 356-0100 jmurray@sportimeny.com www.sportimeny.com/lake-isle

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW Boys & Girls Metro Rankings (as of 12/15/14)

BOYS Metro Boys 12 Singles Rank..Name................................City 1 ........Brandon Torres ..............Bronx, N.Y. 2 ........Winter Forest Fagerberg ..New York, N.Y. 3 ........Donovan Spigner ..........New York, N.Y. 4 ........Paul Elghouayel ............New York, N.Y. 5 ........Daniel Gordon................New York, N.Y. 6 ........Guy Ferrera ....................New York, N.Y. 7 ........Dylan Lachmanen..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 8 ........Ryan David Brandes......Rego Park, N.Y. 9 ........Bradley Bennett ............New York, N.Y. 10 ......Solomon Brown ............New York, N.Y. 11 ......Matthew Mosejczuk ......East Elmhurst, N.Y. 12 ......Evan Friedmann ............New York, N.Y. 13 ......Sabian Kosinov..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 14 ......Alexander Oh ................New York, N.Y. 15 ......Nicholas Laffont ............New York, N.Y. 16 ......Eric Dubilirer ..................Little Neck, N.Y. 17 ......Jasper August Hunt ......New York, N.Y. 18 ......Kole Henry Moses ........New York, N.Y. 19 ......Rafe Photopoulos..........New York, N.Y. 20 ......Ty Switzer ......................New York, N.Y. 21 ......Cooper Williams ............New York, N.Y. 22 ......Sachin Palta ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 23 ......Jonathan Rabinowitz ....Bayside, N.Y. 24 ......Marko R. Gural ..............New York, N.Y. 25 ......Neel Epstein ..................New York, N.Y. 26 ......Yesh Nikam ....................New York, N.Y. 27 ......Gabriel E. Chiha ............Staten Island, N.Y. 28 ......Nicholas Suhanitski ......Staten Island, N.Y. 29 ......Jeffrey Yu ......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 30 ......Mike William Shepard....New York, N.Y. 31 ......Allen P. Brinzensky ........Staten Island, N.Y. 32 ......Albert Y. Wan..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 33 ......Hudson Beaudoin..........New York, N.Y. 34 ......Mathias Isaac Davila......Whitestone, N.Y. 35 ......Tyler James DelZoppo ..New York, N.Y. 36 ......Jonathan Laforest..........Queens Village, N.Y. 37 ......Joshua Staroselskiy ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 38 ......Milan Jain ......................New York, N.Y. 39 ......Nicholas Murphy............New York, N.Y. 40 ......Christopher Rojas..........Flushing, N.Y.

Metro Boys 14 Singles Rank..Name................................City 1 ........Igor Maslov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 2 ........Daniel Leon-Maseyev....Brooklyn, N.Y. 3 ........Christopher Tham..........Flushing, N.Y. 4 ........Christian Rabinowitz......Bayside, N.Y. 5 ........Robbie F. Werdiger ........New York, N.Y. 6 ........Jonathan Glinsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 7 ........Donald James Smith ....Roosevelt Island, N.Y. 8 ........Leaf Fagerberg ..............New York, N.Y. 9 ........Blake Frank ....................New York, N.Y. 10 ......Eli Taylor-Kerman ..........New York, N.Y. 11 ......Matthew Mosejczuk ......East Elmhurst, N.Y. 12 ......David Dylan Pines..........New York, N.Y. 13 ......Dylan Conner Charles ..New York, N.Y. 14 ......Jack Mascone ..............New York, N.Y. 15 ......Alfonso Laffont ..............New York, N.Y. 16 ......Michael Kaydin ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ......Gabriel Isaac Rissman ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 18 ......Ethan King......................New York, N.Y. 19 ......David Krasner ................Staten Island, N.Y.

YORK

20 ......Jai Madisetty..................Flushing, N.Y. 21 ......Tyler Kats........................New York, N.Y. 22 ......Leonidas Vrailas ............New York, N.Y. 23 ......Alex Portnoy ..................New York, N.Y. 24 ......Teddy Brodsky ..............New York, N.Y. 25 ......Julian Szuper ................New York, N.Y. 26 ......Ameer Hosain ................New York, N.Y. 27 ......Jeffrey McCready ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 28 ......Alexander L. Chiu ..........New York, N.Y. 29 ......Michael Gechka ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 30 ......Wesley Zhang ................Staten Island, N.Y. 31 ......Sadi Guicelik ..................New York, N.Y. 32 ......Scott Fischer..................New York, N.Y. 33 ......Alexander Petrov ..........Middle Village, N.Y. 34 ......Robert Shinder ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 35 ......Michael Lee Jozoff ........New York, N.Y. 36 ......Justin S. Taub ................New York, N.Y. 37 ......Peter Frelinghuysen ......New York, N.Y. 38 ......Noah D. Edelman ..........New York, N.Y. 39 ......Andre Agregado ............New York, N.Y. 40 ......Benjamin Goldstein ......New York, N.Y.

Metro Boys 16 Singles Rank..Name................................City 1 ........Justin Arrington-Holmes..New York, N.Y. 2 ........Wiley Schubert Reed ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 3 ........Fayed Fayaz Uddin........Elmhurst, N.Y. 4 ........Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 5 ........Igor Maslov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 6 ........Gabriel Sifuentes ..........Flushing, N.Y. 7 ........Leonardo Escudero ......Ozone Park, N.Y. 8 ........Adam Lane Bernstein....New York, N.Y. 9 ........Leaf Fagerberg ..............New York, N.Y. 10 ......Michael Kamsky ............New York, N.Y. 11 ......Andrew Zucker ..............New York, N.Y. 12 ......Tanner Ross Bhonslay ..New York, N.Y. 13 ......Richard Wickman ..........Bayside, N.Y. 14 ......Mark Karpovas ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 15 ......Oliver Jaskowski............Bayside, N.Y. 16 ......Stephen Mai ..................Flushing, N.Y. 17 ......Joseph Zac Namtalov ..Staten Island, N.Y. 18 ......Daniel Ertel ....................New York, N.Y. 19 ......Eli Taylor-Kerman ..........New York, N.Y. 20 ......Christopher Tham..........Flushing, N.Y. 21 ......Justin Belnavis ..............Jamaica, N.Y. 22 ......Benjamin Thier ..............New York, N.Y. 23 ......Simon Ross Heinberg....New York, N.Y. 24 ......Matthew Joshua Ross ..New York, N.Y. 25 ......Bojidar Todorov..............Rego Park, N.Y. 26 ......David Dylan Pines..........New York, N.Y. 27 ......Bryan Chu ......................Flushing, N.Y. 28 ......Barak Harari ..................Hollis, N.Y. 29 ......Damon Watson..............New York, N.Y. 30 ......Jonathan Shapiro ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 31 ......Daniel Davis ..................New York, N.Y. 32 ......Andre Agregado ............New York, N.Y. 33 ......Ameer Hosain ................New York, N.Y. 34 ......Robert Freitag ................New York, N.Y. 35 ......Yarden Hahn ..................New York, N.Y. 36 ......Alexander Kucherina ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 37 ......Derek Lung ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 38 ......Brandon Huang ............New York, N.Y. 39 ......Arthur Elghouayel ..........New York, N.Y. 40 ......Jonathan Coden ............Bronx, N.Y.

Metro Boys 18 Singles Rank..Name................................City 1 ........Adam Lane Bernstein....New York, N.Y. 2 ........William J. Trang..............Staten Island, N.Y. 3 ........Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

RANKINGS 4 ........Michael Gardiner ..........New York, N.Y. 5 ........Nicholas Rudman ..........New York, N.Y. 6 ........Kumeil Hosain................New York, N.Y. 7 ........Marco Vonderheide ......New York, N.Y. 8 ........Richard Wickman ..........Bayside, N.Y. 9 ........Arthur Elghouayel ..........New York, N.Y.

GIRLS Metro Girls 12 Singles Rank..Name................................City 1 ........Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 2 ........Masha Serjantov............New York, N.Y. 3 ........Rachel Zhang ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 4 ........Rebecca Sitkovetsky ....Staten Island, N.Y. 5 ........Sage Loudon ................New York, N.Y. 6 ........Alyssa An ......................New York, N.Y. 7 ........Alina Kargin-Utkin..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 8 ........Nathalie Williams ..........New York, N.Y. 9 ........Sarah Lucy Youngberg ..New York, N.Y. 10 ......Beyonce Blake ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ......Nicolette Fundator ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 12 ......Leila M. Epstein ............New York, N.Y. 13 ......Niki Truszkowski ............Middle Village, N.Y. 14 ......Blakely Dushkin ............New York, N.Y. 15 ......Katherine Krieger ..........New York, N.Y. 16 ......Sofia Allinson ................New York, N.Y. 17 ......Samantha Bentsianov ..Staten Island, N.Y. 18 ......Celina Liu ......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 19 ......Angelica Schell ..............New York, N.Y. 20 ......Nicole Bolkunova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 21 ......Elizabeth Serjantov........New York, N.Y. 22 ......Cassie Tian ....................Flushing, N.Y. 23 ......Bukky Alalade ................Rosedale, N.Y. 24 ......Michelle Kleynerman ....Staten Island, N.Y. 25 ......Medina Garunja ............Bronx, N.Y. 26 ......Shakima Hotaki..............Flushing, N.Y. 27 ......Julia Gottschalk ............New York, N.Y. 28 ......Piper Sydney Brown......New York, N.Y. 29 ......Josephine Kimball ........New York, N.Y. 30 ......Sofie Shen......................New York, N.Y. 31 ......Sheyna Esther Karen ....New York, N.Y. 32 ......Alyssa Pustilnik ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 33 ......Maxie Molly Karen ........New York, N.Y. 34 ......Nia Lashawn Dabreo ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 35 ......Nicole Wooyin Lee ........New York, N.Y. 36 ......Natalie Eordekian ..........Woodside, N.Y. 37 ......Ksenia Kulakova ............New York, N.Y. 38 ......Emma Eisenberg ..........New York, N.Y. 39 ......Brooke Hoffman ............New York, N.Y. 40 ......Sophia Cisse..................New York, N.Y.

Metro Girls 14 Singles Rank..Name................................City 1 ........Amy Kaplan....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 2 ........Rebecca Sitkovetsky ....Staten Island, N.Y. 3 ........Casey Angelica Brandes Rego Park, N.Y. 4 ........Hillary Sherpa ................Astoria, N.Y. 5 ........Rebecca Izyayeva..........Staten Island, N.Y. 6 ........Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 7 ........Tomi Alalade ..................Rosedale, N.Y. 8 ........Barbara Podvorchani ....Bronx, N.Y. 9 ........Sofia Kate Levine ..........New York, N.Y. 10 ......Taylor Simone Williams..New York, N.Y. 11 ......Cassie Tian ....................Flushing, N.Y. 12 ......Caroline Paige Kantor....New York, N.Y. 13 ......Karolina Lankamer ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 14 ......Theodora Vrailas............New York, N.Y. 15 ......Joanna Urena ................Hollis, N.Y. 16 ......Josephine Kimball ........New York, N.Y. 17 ......Julia Gottschalk ............New York, N.Y.

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18 ......Alexandra Coulombe ....New York, N.Y. 19 ......Rebecca MacDonald ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 20 ......Naomi Park ....................New York, N.Y. 21 ......Lauren Wooyoung Lee ..New York, N.Y. 22 ......Kate Yamin ....................New York, N.Y. 23 ......Julia Kirsh ......................New York, N.Y. 24 ......Shakima Hotaki..............Flushing, N.Y. 25 ......Nicolette Fundator ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 26 ......Amalia M. Parrish ..........Queens Village, N.Y. 27 ......Diana McCready............Brooklyn, N.Y. 28 ......Michelle Kleynerman ....Staten Island, N.Y. 29 ......Nicole Mika ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 30 ......Nicole Sin Ming Chu......Flushing, N.Y. 31 ......Maxine Zaretsky ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 32 ......Leah Margulies ..............New York, N.Y. 33 ......Masha Serjantov............New York, N.Y. 34 ......Mia Parrish ....................Queens Village, N.Y. 35 ......Bella Kaplan ..................New York, N.Y. 36 ......Sophia Africk..................New York, N.Y. 37 ......Maryna Bohdanovska ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 38 ......Alleyah Katherine Ally ....Bellrose, N.Y. 39 ......Anastasya Menshikova Brooklyn, N.Y. 40 ......Sarah Anne Fassberg ....New York, N.Y.

Metro Girls 16 Singles Rank..Name................................City 1 ........Tamila Latif-Zade ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 2 ........Natalie Marguiles ..........New York, N.Y. 3 ........Amy Kaplan....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 4 ........Liana I. Weitzman ..........Whitestone, N.Y. 5 ........Denise Marie Trerotola ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 6 ........Gianna Gaudio ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 7 ........Sophia Hartman ............New York, N.Y. 8 ........Kelsey Emma Gund ......New York, N.Y. 9 ........Kayla Schumacher ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 10 ......Rebecca Xinyue Zhou ..New York, N.Y. 11 ......Anna Maite Kaplan ........New York, N.Y. 12 ......Alexandra Sanford ........New York, N.Y. 13 ......Sarah Hirschfield ..........New York, N.Y. 14 ......Barbara Podvorchani ....Bronx, N.Y. 15 ......Gabrielle Eitkas ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 16 ......Nicole Khorosh ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 17 ......Kiara Rose......................New York, N.Y. 18 ......Joanna Urena ................Hollis, N.Y. 19 ......Anu Alalade....................Rosedale, N.Y. 20 ......Grace L. Kennedy..........New York, N.Y. 21 ......Tomi Alalade ..................Rosedale, N.Y. 22 ......Elizabeth Khusid ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 23 ......Shelby Lau ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 24 ......Isabella Rendon ............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 25 ......Anastasya Menshikova ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 26 ......Gianna Medici................Bayside Hills, N.Y. 27 ......Anastasia Lukyanovich..Brooklyn, N.Y.

Metro Girls 18 Singles Rank..Name................................City 1 ........Julia Zbarsky..................New York, N.Y. 2 ........Tamila Latif-Zade ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 3 ........Isabelle Rovinski ............New York, N.Y.

NEW Boys & Girls Sectional Rankings (as of 12/04/14)

BOYS Sectional Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 3 ........Noah Edelman ..............New York, N.Y. 12 ......John-Thomas Bilski ......New York, N.Y. 13 ......Joseph Wilkanowski......Long Island City, N.Y. 15 ......Brandon T. Cohen..........New York, N.Y. 16 ......Wesley Zhang ................Staten Island, N.Y. 19 ......Maxwell Kachkarov ......Flushing, N.Y. 22 ......Donovan Brown ............New York, N.Y. 27 ......David Krasner ................Staten Island, N.Y. 29 ......Ty Switzer ......................New York, N.Y. 30 ......Sebastian Sec................New York, N.Y. 34 ......Charles Phillips ..............New York, N.Y. 40 ......Sidharth Chawla ............New York, N.Y. 41 ......Anthony Cataldo............Brooklyn, N.Y. 42 ......Hudson Beaudoin..........New York, N.Y. 43 ......Jasper August Hunt ......New York, N.Y. 47 ......Tyler Korobov ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 49 ......Sachin Palta ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 52 ......Winter Fagerberg ..........New York, N.Y. 60 ......Mitchel Pertsovsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 65 ......Solomon Brown ............New York, N.Y. 71 ......Gunnar S. Overstrom ....New York, N.Y. 72 ......Jace Alexander ..............New York, N.Y. 77 ......Donovan Spigner ..........New York, N.Y. 78 ......Brandon Torres ..............Bronx, N.Y. 79 ......Nash Crofoot Johnson ..New York, N.Y. 81 ......Bradley Bennett ............New York, N.Y. 85 ......Nicholas Murphy............New York, N.Y. 87 ......Nicholas Scott DoupsasNew York, N.Y. 92 ......Jeffrey Yu ......................Forest Hills, N.Y. 94 ......Benjamin Ebanks ..........New York, N.Y. 100....Noah Abels Eisenberg ..New York, N.Y. 107....Evan Friedmann ............New York, N.Y. 117....Kole Henry Moses ........New York, N.Y. 118....Eric Dubilirer ..................Little Neck, N.Y. 120....Ryan David Brandes......Rego Park, N.Y. 121....Cooper Williams ............New York, N.Y. 122....Paul Elghouayel ............New York, N.Y. 124....Daniel Gordon................New York, N.Y. 125....Guy Ferrera ....................New York, N.Y. 131....Jack Benavides ............New York, N.Y. 138....Adrien Svilen Jippov......New York, N.Y. 143....Ryuichi Nitta ..................Bronx, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 13 ......Igor Maslov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 15 ......Lantis Wang ..................New York, N.Y. 16 ......Gary Fishkin ..................Staten Island, N.Y. 20 ......Steven Nazaroff ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 24 ......Derek Raskopf ..............New York, N.Y. 29 ......Jeffrey Gorilovsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 31 ......Ethan Leon ....................Woodhaven, N.Y. 33 ......Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 34 ......Shawn Jackson ............Staten Island, N.Y. 36 ......Oliver Jevtovic ..............Astoria, N.Y. 37 ......Jeffrey Fradkin ..............New York, N.Y. 41 ......Sam Vagner....................Staten Island, N.Y. 43 ......Jonah Jurick ..................New York, N.Y. 45 ......Dylan Friedman..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 51 ......Shand Stephens ............New York, N.Y. 55 ......Richard Zusman ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

YORK

RANKINGS

63 ......Alexander Petrov ..........Middle Village, N.Y. 66 ......Noah Edelman ..............New York, N.Y. 67 ......David Raphael Weiner ..Forest Hills, N.Y. 71 ......Kai Yuminaga ................Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 72 ......Robbie F. Werdiger ........New York, N.Y. 76 ......Jeffrey McCready ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 77 ......Alexander Chiu ..............New York, N.Y. 78 ......Donovan Brown ............New York, N.Y. 82 ......David Mizrahi ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 86 ......Gabriel Isaac Rissman ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 88 ......Alexander Nielsen..........New York, N.Y. 92 ......Brandon T. Cohen..........New York, N.Y. 93 ......Kemal Irfan Aziz ............Staten Island, N.Y. 96 ......Christopher Tham..........Flushing, N.Y. 100....Derek Lung ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 102....William Phillips ..............New York, N.Y. 105....Tristan Taylor ..................New York, N.Y. 113....Ryan McCook................Saint Albans, N.Y. 114....Daniel Leon Maseyev ....Brooklyn, N.Y. 116....Blake Frank ....................New York, N.Y. 117....David Krasner ................Staten Island, N.Y. 124....Henry Hochfelder ..........New York, N.Y. 128....Oliver Obeid ..................New York, N.Y. 135....Ameer Hosain ................New York, N.Y. 139....Tyler Kats........................New York, N.Y. 147....Christian Rabinowitz......Bayside, N.Y.

95 ......Alexander Thrane ..........New York, N.Y. 96 ......William J. Trang..............Staten Island, N.Y. 107....Alex Chao ......................New York, N.Y. 109....Leonard Margolis ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 111....Zachary Kaplan..............New York, N.Y. 114....Brett W. Jones ..............New York, N.Y. 117....Jordan D. Jordan ..........Astoria, N.Y. 121....Win Smith ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 124....Jack Haroche ................New York, N.Y. 136....Michael Gardiner ..........New York, N.Y. 137....Edan Lee Sossen ..........Oakland Gardens, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 10 ......Ananth Raghavan ..........New York, N.Y. 17 ......Aleksandar Kovacevic ..New York, N.Y. 18 ......Sumit Sarkar ..................New York, N.Y. 24 ......Mitchell Ostrovsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 31 ......Calvin Chung ................Bronx, N.Y. 39 ......Gary C. Fishkin ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 51 ......Jeffrey Gorilovsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 69 ......Robert Kennedy ............New York, N.Y. 76 ......Sam Vagner....................Staten Island, N.Y. 81 ......Zachary Jordan Lieb......New York, N.Y. 83 ......Xavier Pacthod ..............New York, N.Y. 85 ......Christopher Kolesnik ....Staten Island, N.Y. 87 ......Cole Gittens ..................New York, N.Y. 89 ......Nicholas Rudman ..........New York, N.Y. 92 ......Jordan D. Jordan ..........Astoria, N.Y. 96 ......David Mizahi ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 98 ......Allan Ethan Magid..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 103....Adam Bryan Borak ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 109....Adam Bernstein ............New York, N.Y. 120....Jared Fields....................New York, N.Y. 121....Ethan Moszkowski ........New York, N.Y. 125....Gabriel Sifuentes ..........Flushing, N.Y. 133....Philip Belmatch..............Staten Island, N.Y.

Sectional Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region

GIRLS Sectional Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 4 ........Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 7 ........Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ......Miriam Aziz ....................Staten Island, N.Y. 17 ......Elvina Kalieva ................Staten Island, N.Y. 23 ......Daniella Benabraham ....New York, N.Y. 26 ......Lorraine Bergmann........Forest Hills, N.Y. 27 ......Khyanna Singh ..............Queens Village, N.Y. 29 ......Shawnte Beale ..............Bronx, N.Y. 31 ......Rebecca Eliana Fisch ....New York, N.Y. 32 ......Lena Kovacevic ............New York, N.Y. 34 ......Karolina Lankamer ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 36 ......Shakima Hotaki..............Flushing, N.Y. 38 ......Isabella Cooper..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 41 ......Rachel Rubenzahl..........New York, N.Y. 43 ......Zoe Kava........................New York, N.Y. 44 ......Michelle Kleynerman ....Staten Island, N.Y. 45 ......Carolyn Brodsky ............New York, N.Y. 54 ......Sarah Youngberg ..........New York, N.Y. 55 ......Gabriella Eitkis ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 56 ......Natalie Eordekian ..........Woodside, N.Y. 58 ......Sabrina Boada ..............Woodhaven, N.Y. 70 ......Masha Serjantov............New York, N.Y. 74 ......Rachel Zhang ................Forest Hills, N.Y. 76 ......Sage Loudon ................New York, N.Y. 81 ......Nathalie Williams ..........New York, N.Y. 96 ......Elizabeth Serjantov........New York, N.Y. 99 ......Alyssa An ......................New York, N.Y. 108....Niki Truszkowski ............Middle Village, N.Y. 110....Alina Kargin-Utkin..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 115....Michelle Tikhonko..........Forest Hills, N.Y. 119....Kassia Taylor..................New York, N.Y. 126....Deliala Friedman............Brooklyn, N.Y. 127....Lara Rose Berliner ........New York, N.Y. 132....Beyonce Blake ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 134....Nicolette Fundator ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 136....Kasia Ojar ......................New York, N.Y. 141....Katherine Krieger ..........New York, N.Y. 143....Piper Sydney Brown......New York, N.Y.

Rank Name............................City

Sectional Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region

2 ........Oliver Sec ......................New York, N.Y. 8 ........Daniel Kerznerman ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 22 ......Christopher Auteri..........Staten Island, N.Y. 23 ......Felipe Osses-Konig ......Rego Park, N.Y. 24 ......Ananth Raghavan ..........New York, N.Y. 28 ......Victor Miglo....................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 30 ......Ethan Nittolo ..................Flushing, N.Y. 31 ......Marcus T. Smith ............Little Neck, N.Y. 38 ......James Wasserman ........New York, N.Y. 59 ......Maurice Russo ..............New York, N.Y. 60 ......Alexander Pintilie ..........New York, N.Y. 61 ......Artemie Amari ................New York, N.Y. 65 ......Faris Nathoo ..................New York, N.Y.

4 ........Shelly Yaloz....................Little Neck, N.Y. 7 ........Michelle Sorokko ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 10 ......Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ......Aleksandra Bekirova......Brooklyn, N.Y. 15 ......Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 16 ......Rosie Garcia Gross........New York, N.Y. 24 ......Anastasia Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 27 ......Katherine Kachkarov ....Flushing, N.Y. 29 ......Jennifer Yu ....................Forest Hills, N.Y. 30 ......Christina Huynh ............Astoria, N.Y. 31 ......Sonia Tartakovsky..........New York, N.Y. 33 ......Chelsea Williams............Brooklyn, N.Y.

Rank Name............................City

34 ......Kyra Bergmann..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 40 ......Perene Wang ................New York, N.Y. 41 ......Stephanie Li ..................New York, N.Y. 44 ......Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 47 ......Katelyn Walker ..............New York, N.Y. 48 ......Diana McCready............Brooklyn, N.Y. 53 ......Amanda Solecki ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 55 ......Marie Ivantechenko ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 57 ......Isabella Nicole Tushaj ....Bronx, N.Y. 59 ......Rebecca Eliana Fisch ....New York, N.Y. 60 ......Diana Sosonkin..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 61 ......Elvina Kalinova ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 62 ......Barbara Podvorchani ....Bronx, N.Y. 68 ......Miriam Irfan Aziz ............Staten Island, N.Y. 74 ......Isabella Sinclair Cooper Brooklyn, N.Y. 76 ......Gabriella Eitkis ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 83 ......Giuliana Rosa Gibson....Bayside, N.Y. 87 ......Audrey Pacthod ............New York, N.Y. 91 ......Rachel Rubenzahl..........New York, N.Y. 92 ......Sofie Kate Levine ..........New York, N.Y. 93 ......Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 104....Grace L. Kennedy..........New York, N.Y. 105....Shakima Hotaki..............Flushing, N.Y. 106....Amy Kaplan....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 109....Emily Moczulski ............Oakland Gardens, N.Y. 120....Zoe Kava........................New York, N.Y. 122....Anastasiya Chesnokova..Staten Island, N.Y. 130....Amalia M. Parrish ..........Queens Village, N.Y. 134....Rebecca Sitkovetsky ....Staten Island, N.Y. 135....Daniela Hernandez ........Corona, N.Y. 136....Caroline Paige Kantor....New York, N.Y. 139....Anastasya Menshikova Brooklyn, N.Y. 140....Maryna Bohdanovska ..Brooklyn, N.Y. 142....Casey Brandes ..............Rego Park, N.Y. 145....Anna Tselikovskaya ......New York, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 10 ......Brianna Williams ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ......Shelly Yaloz....................Little Neck, N.Y. 13 ......Jessica Livianu ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 16 ......Michelle Sorokko ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 18 ......Alexus Gill ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 25 ......Aleksandra Bekirova......Brookln, N.Y. 28 ......Alexandra Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 29 ......Victoria Sec....................New York, N.Y. 31 ......Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 32 ......Sarah Rahman ..............East Elmhurst, N.Y. 33 ......Yuka Lin..........................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 36 ......Regina Furer ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 37 ......Lauren Munari................Middle Village, N.Y. 45 ......Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 46 ......Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 49 ......Stephanie Li ..................New York, N.Y. 53 ......Jillian Auteri....................Staten Island, N.Y. 55 ......Sydney Lynn Katz..........New York, N.Y. 63 ......Sonia Tartakovsky..........New York, N.Y. 65 ......Jennifer Yu ....................Forest Hills, N.Y. 67 ......Chelsea Williams............Brooklyn, N.Y. 73 ......Patricia Obeid ................New York, N.Y. 81 ......Lia Kiam ........................New York, N.Y. 89 ......Lisa Marchelska ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 92 ......Isabelle Rovinski ............New York, N.Y. 94 ......Emma Kassan................New York, N.Y. 97 ......Isabel Balilo....................Flushing, N.Y. 99 ......Brittny Jo Ferreira ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 100....Katherine Kachkarov ....Flushing, N.Y. 106....Sabrina Lee Abrams......New York, N.Y. 107....Kiara A. Rose ................New York, N.Y. 108....Tamila Latif-Zade ..........Brooklyn, N.Y.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

NEW 114....Barbara Podvorchani ....Bronx, N.Y. 116....Kyra Bergmann..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 138....Amy Kaplan....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 142....Liana Weitzman ............Whitestone, N.Y.

Sectional Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank Name............................City 3 ........Sabrina Xiong ................Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 6 ........Anna Ulyashchenko ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 9 ........Arnelle Sullivan ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 ......Ariana D. Rodriguez ......Bronx, N.Y. 24 ......Hannah Shteyn ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 25 ......Jessica Livianu ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 26 ......Yuka Lin..........................Kew Gardens, N.Y. 31 ......Isis Gill ............................Brooklyn, N.Y. 36 ......Alexus Gill ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 42 ......Shayna Spooner............New York, N.Y. 43 ......Christina Puccinelli ........New York, N.Y. 44 ......Sophia Kryloff ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 46 ......Sarah Rahman ..............East Elmhurst, N.Y. 51 ......Jessica Golovin..............New York, N.Y. 54 ......Brianna Williams ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 60 ......Jillian Rose Auteri ..........Staten Island, N.Y. 64 ......Sofia Anouk Alsiks ........New York, N.Y. 67 ......Elizabeth Tsvetkov ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 71 ......Patricia Obeid ................New York, N.Y. 72 ......Nia Rose ........................New York, N.Y. 74 ......Sonia Tartakovsky..........New York, N.Y. 76 ......Annie Reiner ..................New York, N.Y. 83 ......Keren Khromchenko......Staten Island, N.Y. 86 ......Lauren Munari................Middle Village, N.Y. 98 ......Alexandra Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 106....Shelly Yaloz....................Little Neck, N.Y. 107....Hediye Karabay ............Flushing, N.Y. 110....Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 118....Jennifer Yu ....................Forest Hills, N.Y. 123....Emma Kassan................New York, N.Y. 130....Tamila Latif-Zade ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 134....Angeline Devanthiran ....Corona, N.Y.

Boys & Girls National Rankings (as of 12/18/14)

BOYS National Boys 12 Singles— Metro Region

YORK

National Boys 14 Singles— Metro Region

988....Julia Werdiger ................New York, N.Y. 990....Nina Wiese ....................Flushing, N.Y.

Rank ..Name ..........................City

National Girls 14 Singles— Metro Region

108....Lantis Wang ..................New York, N.Y. 124....Gary Fishkin ..................Staten Island, N.Y. 155....Derek Raskopf ..............New York, N.Y. 181....Nicholas Pustilnik ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 280....Jeffrey Gorilovsky ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 294....Shawn Jackson ............Staten Island, N.Y. 305....Igor Malsov ....................Brooklyn, N.Y. 314....Steven Daniel Nazaroff..Brooklyn, N.Y. 398....Oliver Jevtovic ..............Astoria, N.Y. 485....Jeffrey Fradkin ..............New York, N.Y. 782....Ethan Leon ....................Woodhaven, N.Y. 891....Jonah Jurick ..................New York, N.Y. 901....Harry Portnoy ................New York, N.Y. 970....Dylan Friedman..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

National Boys 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 85 ......Aleksandar Kovacevic ..New York, N.Y. 152....Ananth Raghavan ..........New York, N.Y. 302....Sumit Sarkar ..................New York, N.Y. 579....Calvin Chung ................Bronx, N.Y. 590....Gary C. Fishkin ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 619....Mitchell Ostrovsky ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 805....Cole Gittens ..................New York, N.Y. 897....Robert Kennedy ............New York, N.Y. 898....Xavier Pacthod ..............New York, N.Y. 940....Sam V. Vagner................Staten Island, N.Y.

National Boys 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 11 ......Daniel Kerznerman ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 93 ......Oliver Sec ......................New York, N.Y. 130....James Wasserman ........New York, N.Y. 167....Felipe Osses-Konig ......Rego Park, N.Y. 192....Christopher Auteri..........Staten Island, N.Y. 211....Ethan Nittolo ..................Flushing, N.Y. 310....Ananth Raghavan ..........New York, N.Y. 456....Artemie Amari ................New York, N.Y. 510....Alexander Pintilie ..........New York, N.Y. 570....Marcus T. Smith ............Little Neck, N.Y. 633....Aleksandar Kovacevic ..New York, N.Y. 653....Win Smith ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 972....Victor Miglo....................Kew Gardens, N.Y.

Rank ..Name ..........................City

GIRLS

56 ......Noah Edelman ..............New York, N.Y. 114....Brandon T. Cohen..........New York, N.Y. 126....John-Tomas Bilski ........New York, N.Y. 146....Wesley Zhang ................Staten Island, N.Y. 224....Max Kachkarov..............Flushing, N.Y. 253....Joseph Wilkanowski......Long Island City, N.Y. 400....Sebastian Sec................New York, N.Y. 505....Ty Switzer ......................New York, N.Y. 524....Hudson Beaudoin..........New York, N.Y. 544....Donovan Brown ............New York, N.Y. 592....Sidharth Chawla ............New York, N.Y. 606....Charles Phillips ..............New York, N.Y. 703....David Krasner ................Staten Island, N.Y. 711....Tyler Korobov ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 721....Sachin Palta ..................Forest Hills, N.Y. 730....Nash Crofoot Johnson ..New York, N.Y. 875....Jace K. Alexander..........New York, N.Y. 895....Jasper August Hunt ......New York, N.Y.

24 ......Nadejda Maslova ..........Brooklyn, N.Y. 41 ......Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 59 ......Miriam Irfan Aziz ............Staten Island, N.Y. 66 ......Elvina Kalieva ................Staten Island, N.Y. 241....Rebecca Eliana Fisch ....New York, N.Y. 252....Khyanna Singh ..............Queens Village, N.Y. 268....Lorraine Bergmann........Forest Hills, N.Y. 284....Rachel Rubenzahl..........New York, N.Y. 296....Lena Kovacevic ............New York, N.Y. 518....Daniella Benabraham ....New York, N.Y. 550....Shakima Hotaki..............Flushing, N.Y. 568....Karolina Lankamer ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 595....Shawnte Beale ..............Bronx, N.Y. 835....Sarah Lucy Youngberg ..New York, N.Y. 975....Masha Serjantov............New York, N.Y.

RANKINGS

National Girls 12 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City

Rank ..Name ..........................City 32 ......Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 35 ......Shelly Yaloz....................Little Neck, N.Y. 47 ......Michelle Sorokko ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 137....Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 140....Aleksandra Bekirova......Brooklyn, N.Y. 189....Katherine Kachkarov ....Flushing, N.Y. 226....Anastasia Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 270....Jennifer Yu ....................Forest Hills, N.Y. 357....Christina M. Huynh........Astoria, N.Y. 384....Rosie Garcia Gross........New York, N.Y. 400....Sonia Tartakovsky..........New York, N.Y. 442....Kyra Bergmann..............Forest Hills, N.Y. 477....Katelyn Walker ..............New York, N.Y. 510....Stephanie Li ..................New York, N.Y. 546....Perene Wang ................New York, N.Y. 612....Chelsea Williams............Brooklyn, N.Y. 846....Rebecca Eliana Fisch ....New York, N.Y. 883....Amanda Solecki ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 968....Diana Sosonkin..............Brooklyn, N.Y.

National Girls 16 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 69 ......Jessica Livianu ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 145....Brianna Williams ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 223....Alexandra Koniaev ........Forest Hills, N.Y. 238....Michelle Sorokko ..........Little Neck, N.Y. 274....Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 309....Alexus Gill ......................Brooklyn, N.Y. 353....Shelly Yaloz....................Little Neck, N.Y. 399....Lauren Munari................Middle Village, N.Y. 473....Sarah Rahman ..............East Elmhurst, N.Y. 495....Aleksandra Bekirova......Brooklyn, N.Y. 589....Victoria Sec....................New York, N.Y. 745....Dakota Fordham............New York, N.Y. 778....Regina Furer ..................Brooklyn, N.Y. 895....Nicole Semenov ............Brooklyn, N.Y.

National Girls 18 Singles— Metro Region Rank ..Name ..........................City 63 ......Sabrina Xiong ................Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 70 ......Anna Ulyashchenko ......Brooklyn, N.Y. 104....Jessica Livianu ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 120....Arnelle Sullivan ..............Brooklyn, N.Y. 125....Jessica Golovin..............New York, N.Y. 233....Ariana D. Rodriguez ......Bronx, N.Y. 333....Hannah Shteyn ..............Staten Island, N.Y. 354....Isis Gill ............................Brooklyn, N.Y. 445....Brianna Williams ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 502....Sophia Kryloff ................Brooklyn, N.Y. 688....Alexandra Sanford ........New York, N.Y. 729....Nia Rose ........................New York, N.Y. 837....Keren Khromchenko......Staten Island, N.Y. 883....Elizabeth Tsvetkov ........Brooklyn, N.Y. 896....Dasha Kourkina ............Brooklyn, N.Y. 911....Christina Puccinelli ........New York, N.Y. 920....Stephanie Johnson........Richmond Hill, N.Y. 929....Julia D. Fisch..................New York, N.Y.

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2015 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. JANUARY 2015 Friday-Monday, January 16-19 L1A Stadium Tennis Center Winter Championships Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys Singles 78' Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Sunday. Jan. 11 at 7:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail lauren@stadiumtennisnyc.com or call (718) 665-4684.

Friday-Sunday, January 23-25 L2O Sportime RI January Open Sportime at Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78' Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC) and Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78' Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Clay, Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 9 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail mmoore@sportimeny.com or call (212) 427-6150.

Friday-Monday, January 16-19 L1A Alley Pond Winter Championships Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Girls Singles 78' Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Jan. 12 at 7:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Friday-Sunday, January 30-February 1 L3 APTC January UPS Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys' & Girls' Singles 78' Green Ball 12, 78' Yellow Ball 14-18 (RR) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Jan. 26 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Monday-Friday, February 16-20 L2O CityParks Junior Indoor Open City Parks Foundation 1 Olmstead Center Flushing Meadow Corona Park Flushing, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys & Girls Singles 78' Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Entry Fee: $36 for first singles, $23 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Friday, Feb. 6 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail tomtvedt@yahoo.com or call (718) 760-6999.

Friday-Sunday, January 23-25 L1B Cunningham Park Tennis Center Winter Challenger Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78' Yellow Ball 12, 16 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Monday, Jan. 19 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail klastique@yahoo.com or call (516) 984-3711.

Friday-Saturday, January 30-31 L3 Sportime RI January UPS Sportime at Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island • New York, N.Y. Divisions: Entry Level Boys & Girls Singles 78' Green Ball 12 (RR) Surface Type: Clay Entry Fee: $43.50 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 23 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail mmoore@sportimeny.com or call (212) 427-6150.

Tuesday-Friday, February 17-20 L2O Alley Pond President's Week Open Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles & Doubles 78' Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Sunday, Feb. 9 at 11:59 p.m.) For more information, call (718) 264-2600.

FEBRUARY 2015 Friday-Sunday, February 13-15 L2O Staten Island Community Tennis Center Junior & Adult February Open Staten Island Community Tennis Center 2800 Victory Boulevard • Staten Island, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78' Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys' & Girls' Singles: 78' Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE); Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles 78' Yellow Ball 14-18 (SE) and Ranked Men’s & Women's Singles & Doubles Open (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles; $28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Monday, Feb. 9 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail klastique@yahoo.com or call (718) 982-3355.

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22 & Tuesday-Sunday, February 27-March 1 +L1 Stadium Tennis Center Eastern Grand Prix Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Grand Prix Boys Singles 78' Yellow Ball 14 (FICQ) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail lauren@stadiumtennisnyc.com or call (718) 665-4684.

Friday-Sunday, January 23-25 L1B APTC Winter Challenger Alley Pond Tennis Center 7920 Winchester Boulevard Queens Village, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78' Yellow Ball 14, 18 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail hemco2@aol.com or call (718) 264-2600.

Friday-Monday, February 13-16 L1A Stadium Tennis Center February Championships Stadium Tennis Center 725 Exterior Street Bronx, N.Y. Divisions: Championships Boys & Girls Singles 78' Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail lauren@stadiumtennisnyc.com or call (718) 665-4684.

NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine

USTA/Metropolitan Region

2015 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE For detailed information on these and all USTA tournaments, visit tennislink.usta.com/tournaments. Friday-Sunday, February 20-22 & Tuesday-Sunday, February 27-March 1 L1B Sportime Randall's Island February Challenger Sportime at Randall’s Island 1 Randall’s Island New York, N.Y. Divisions: Challenger Boys & Girls Singles 78' Yellow Ball 16-18 (SE) Surface Type: Clay, Hard Entry Fee: $54.25 per player (deadline for entries is Friday, Feb. 6 at 1:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail mmoore@sportimeny.com or call (212) 427-6150.

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22 L1B Cunningham Park Tennis Center February Challenger Cunningham Sports Center 19600 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78' Yellow Ball 12-14 (SE) Surface Type: Hard Indoor Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles (deadline for entries is Friday, Feb. 13 at 8:00 p.m.) For more information, e-mail klastique@yahoo.com or call (516) 984-3711.

Tuesday-Sunday, February 27-March 1 L2O NYJTL February Open New York Junior Tennis and Learning 5812 Queens Boulevard, Ste. 1 Woodside, N.Y. Divisions: Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78' Yellow Ball 12 (FMLC); Intermediate Boys & Girls Singles 78' Yellow Ball 14 (SE); and Intermediate Boys & Girls Doubles 78' Yellow Ball 14 (SE) Surface Type: Unknown Entry Fee: $54.25 for first singles, $28 for first doubles For more information, e-mail ebantovska@nyjtl.org or call (347) 417-8168.

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New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com

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Metropolitan Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine, LLC 425 Fifth Avenue at 38th St. | Third Floor | New York, NY 10016 | Office: 347.565.4255 NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2015 • New York Tennis Magazine 92

New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2015 • NYTennisMag.com